Green Sister
by YuriLover567
Summary: After years of moping and loneliness, Vert finally gets a little sister of her own. She's young and cute, and idols her sister like no other. The problem? She's too adorable
1. Chapter 1

Let it never be said that Vert was one to complain. The goddess had almost nothing to complain about. She had endless and endless amounts of games to play, shares were much higher than she expected them to be, 4 Goddesses Online just got updated. How could she not be happy?

Unfortunately, despite all the wonderful things that life has given her, there was still one teensy weensy little itty bitty thing that Vert always wanted, but had sadly never been given to her.

And that little thing was a little sister (hah, puns)

For as long as time itself, Vert had always been mopey about the fact that her fellow CPU's got such ADORABLE little sister's, and she was left with no one. It didn't hit her hard until recently, when they had been captured by the ACIS (I think that's how it goes...) and..

"Wait, you mean you don't know the name of the very people who captured us?!" Vert chastised the author, completely disregarding the 4th wall.

Hey, I just got into this franchise! Give me a break will ya?

Vert just crossed her arms, clearly not happy with the authors supposed lack of knowledge on their franchise. But I've been doing my best here! It's bad enough that I have Neptune riding my tail about her not being the main character!

"Seriously, first a made up character, then Noire's little sister, and now VERT?! When am I gonna get the spotlight?!" Neptune whined.

Silence women! You're not in this scene!

Neptune grumbled and walked away, sourly waiting for her turn from behind the scenes.

Anyway, back to the story...

When Vert was freed of her 3 year imprisonment in the Gamindustri Graveyard, the realization that she didn't have a sister who had been worried sick about her hit her like a battering ram. Sure she had Chika, but she was only human...

Nepgear had been (sometimes unwillingly) a temporary solution to this problem. She certainly made Vert happy, but this kind of thing was more of Vert having quote -unquote "romantic interest's" towards Nepgear, so to Vert it didn't really count.

Vert sighed dramatically, then plopped down on her couch. She COULD play on her favorite MMO's and get in some grinding, but she didn't even feel like doing that, or anything at all, for that matter.

Just when she considered crashing on the couch, she heard the voice of an oh-so familiar Oracle from Planeptune.

"Vert? Can I talk to you for a second?" The tiny fairy asked.

"Histoire? Why are you calling me at THIS hour?" It was the middle of the night, which explained Vert's need to sleep on the couch (even though it was one of the 2 things that gave her back pains. The other thing does not need to be mentioned here...)

"Just meet me in the center of your Basilicom, there's someone I'd like you to meet." The Oracle "hung up" on Vert (there was a beep and everything), leaving the goddess confused.

Someone...wanted to meet her? Who? Maybe Neptune found another girl? No, if that were the case, Neptune would've showed her herself.

Well, no point in prolonging this. Vert exited her room and proceeded to the center of her Basilicom.

Vert didn't know what to expect when she entered the base of the Basilicom. Histoire was very lacking in information, and Vert didn't like surprises (unless she was the one doing it, most often with Neptune)

The last thing she expected though, was a little girl sitting just a few feet in front of her. If anything, she looked like a kid version of Vert. Same blonde hair, same blue eyes (blue eyes that were currently looking at her in the most adorable way possible). She was wearing a green pajama like outfit with sleeves that were much to big, and ended covering her hands as a result. She didn't seem to be wearing pants, and was barefoot on top of that. The girl didn't look like she knew where she was, and was looking at Vert with a confused, and a little fearful, glint in her eyes. She couldn't have been older than 5.

"Ah, there you are Vert" Histoire had blissfully entered the scene, seemingly unaware of the shocked and downright confused face Vert was giving the Oracle (that, or she was just ignoring her. It was most likely the latter)

Immediately, the little girl got up and hid behind Histoire (which was hard to do, considering how small she was. Not to mention she was on a floating book)

"Um, Histoire, would you mind explaining...this?" Vert gestured towards the little girl, who shyly looked away in response.

"Certainly. You know how your shares have risen quite higher than normal, correct?"

"Yesss..?" Vert was lost on the whole thing. What did her shares have to do with this little girl?

"Well, as a result of the inflation in your shares, a new goddess was born. This goddess, happens to be the little girl standing behind me..."

Vert's eyes widened. A new goddess? Born from shares? CAN THAT EVEN HAPPEN?! Clearly that was the case. The little girl didn't look like she was going to leave Histoire's side, but maybe she was just scared? It would make sense, she was just born after all...

But that wasn't the surprising part. The surprising part was what Histoire said next.

"...and your new little sister"

"..." The CPU went silent.

The lack of an initial response from the goddess was making Histoire concerned, not to mention a little worried. With the way Vert was looking at her, she was making it look like she just dropped a huge bomb on the nation of Puppytopia!

"U-Uh, I-Is she...OK?" The little girl asked in a quiet voice. It was the first time she spoke, in front of Vert anyway.

"I...don't know" Histoire replied honestly, which made the girl a little worried.

Vert closed her eyes, before rubbing her temples and taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry Histoire, I think my entire existence just glitched. Could you please repeat that?"

"Um, this little girl, the new goddess, is your new little sister" Histoire explained, secretly hoping that Vert wouldn't have a mental breakdown.

"Ok..." Vert sighed. Keep calm, Vert. Keep calm. It wasn't that big of deal, right?

She just had a little sister.

SHE HAD A LITTLE SISTER!

Vert's mind was on a roller coaster ride. She had a little sister. After all these years, she finally had a little sister. From the looks the 2 were giving her, she was doing a very poor job at keeping her joy in check. But she DID NOT CARE! She could finally do what she always wanted with her! It was just so much that Vert's brain couldn't even begin to process what was happening right now.

SHE WAS SO HAPPY!

"Uh, Vert? Earth to Vert?" Histoire waved her hands in front of the CPU. The whole sugar rush of emotion had to be put aside so Vert could answer Histoire properly.

"Sorry Histoire, but I'm so happy right now I could just cry!" Vert exclaimed. As if to drive the point home, her eyes began to water in pure happiness.

Histoire couldn't help but smile at Vert's emotional extravaganza. She had expected this kind of reaction out of her, but seeing it play out before her was a sight in itself.

"I'm happy that you're happy. Her name is Verna" Histoire motioned for her to come forward, but she still looked a little scared.

"Don't be afraid. She's your new big sister."

Verna seemed to have gotten the courage to show herself to Vert. She slowly walked towards, who in turn got on her knees so she could actually face her.

"Hello Verna, I'm Vert. I guess I'm your big sister now" Vert nearly jumped for joy when those words left her lips, but she managed to hold back. "Is there anything you want to say?"

In that moment, Verna walked up to her new sister, with just about the most adorable expression Vert could of possibly seenon another living being...

...and hugged her.

And if that weren't enough...

"I love you, sis" The little girl whispered

If there were a live studio audience, they most certainly would've gone "Aww..." at the most Kawii scene in Gamindustri. Ever.

Was Vert crying? She was probably crying. From happiness of course. Again, she didn't care. These last few minutes had felt like a dream come true.

She didn't want to spoil this moment, so she hugged her new sister right back. 


	2. Chapter 2

(A/N: Before the story starts, I want to say that me and DracoSlayer95 have made a story together, called Experimental Paradox. We would appreciate it if you all took a look at it, and reviewed to see if we can improve it in any way. This is my first colabb with someone, so we would like some feedback)

After all the hugging and dramatic crying, Vert had been faced with quite a simple task. Well, as simple as Histoire made it anyway.

"Do not, any under circumstances, spoil her. Your basilicom is practically a playhouse as it is."

"I'll see what I can do, Histoire"

"And don't give her too many sweets. The last thing this child needs is a sugar rush"

"Ok, Histoire"

"And make sure she gets plenty of rest..."

Histoire went on...and on...and on. It's not like Vert didn't appreciate the help, but Histoire was making it look like she didn't know how to properly take care of a hu-er-goddess! And there were many times when Vert was asked to babysit the candidates (usually Rom and Ram, but Neptune would sometimes leave Nepgear with her just for the fun of it, not that Vert minded anyway).

"Vert? Vert!"

"Hmm?" Vert was snapped out of her thoughts by Histoire waving her hands in front of her.

"This is especially vital. Make sure that Verna never, EVER cries."

Vert raised an eyebrow. That was an...odd request, not to mention a nearly impossible one. This was a little girl they were talking about here! She could trip and fall and start crying, or what if she laughed to hard? Did tears of JOY count?

"Um, any specific reason Histoire?" Vert asked.

"I'm sorry, I do not know that myself. All I know is that something very bad will happen if she cries"

Vert couldn't help but stare at the tiny Oracle. So her new little was essentially a ticking time bomb? What kind of stupid rule was that?

"I must be taking my leave now, I cannot trust Neptune to be by herself for too long. Good bye Vert" With that said, the Oracle gave her a wave, before leaving her Basilicom and making her way back to Planeptune.

Now Vert was alone...wait, alone? Vert looked around, but she couldn't find Verna for the life of her. She was sitting on the floor a little while ago, where did she go?

As if to answer Vert's unspoken question, there was a scream, undoubtedly belonging to Chika, that rang through the halls of the Basilicom.

Oh right, she didn't tell Chika yet, did she?

A little worried, Vert hurriedly made her way to the source of the scream, which turned out to be the kitchen of all places.

What she found could only be described as comical in its insanity.

There was Chika, eyes wide and mouth open as she pointed dramatically towards the cabinets. And there was Verna, currently pigging out on the stash of chocolate that Vert kept in the cabinets. And then there was Vert, who was trying VERY hard not to laugh at the whole situation.

"No! What are you DOING?! Those are NOT for you to eat!" Chika tried to get Verna away from the chocolate, but to no avail, as the Candidate completely ignored her wails and continued to eat the chocolate.

"Chika..."

"VERT!" Immediately Chika became horrified when she saw who had walked in the room. How was she going to explain this?!

"U-Uh, I d-dont know what h-happened! S-She just s-showed up out of n-nowhere and started eating everything! I-I tried t-to stop her b-but she wouldn't listen! P-Please don't b-be mad!" Chika was stuttering like crazy trying to explain what was going on at the moment, all while Verna continued to eat the chocolate like nothing was wrong.

"Thish ish fweally goof!" Verna tried to say, but her mouth was so full of chocolate that you could barely understand her.

Chika twitched.

"Chika" Vert placed her hands on the Oracles shoulders, and that calmed her down almost instantly. "I'm not mad"

Chika blinked "Y-You're not?"

"Of course not, I can explain this" Vert let Chika go (which made her pout a little) and made her way toward Verna.

"Verna, I believe that is quite enough"

As soon as she heard her older sisters voice, Verna dropped the chocolate bar she was eating, and stared at her in fear. The whole bottom half of her face, and some portion of her clothes, were covered in chocolate. She swallowed the chocolate she had in her mouth, then gulped nervously.

"I-I'm sorry sis, but watching you 2 talk was making me feel sleepy, so I came here. I saw all the chocolate, a-and I couldn't help it, I-I didn't know it was a b-bad thing" Uh-Oh, her lip was quivering, she couldn't have her cry now! She had to fix this.

"Oh my, please don't cry! I'm not saying it's a bad thing, I just want you to ask before you can have a snack, OK?" That seemed to calm her down, and she nodded enthusiastically. Vert sighed, crisis everted.

"Um, Vert, if you don't mind me asking but, who is she?" Chika asked.

"Oh, I completely forgot to tell you, so sorry" Vert placed Verna on the ground next to her, while still nibbling on the chocolate bar she had in her hand.

"This is Verna, she is my new little sister"

Chika froze when the word's "little sister" escaped Vert's lips.

Everything came crashing down on her. It was like the entire world had turned against her in that one moment. Her brain malfunctioned as she tried to process what Vert had said to her. It was quite honestly the most hurtful thing Chika ever heard Vert say, and it wasn't even an insult!

Vert had a sister, a REAL sister. How? Why? WHEN?!

How did this happen? Why did this have to happen?! Chika was the one who was supposed to be Vert's little sister, not...her! Chika was the one who had been there, SHE was the one who comforted Vert when she was feeling down (those where her most precious memories between the 2 of them) SHE was the one who did anything for her, just so she would be happy! It was all supposed to be HER! And now all of a sudden, this kid literally comes out of nowhere and claims to be Vert's little sister? HER Vert?! No! She refused to accept this! It simply couldn't be! WHY?! What did she do wrong?! What could Chika have possibly done to deserve such a betrayal?! And from Vert of all people! Did Fate just like to mess with her? Was that it?!

IT WAS SO UNFAIR!

"Um, Chika, are you feeling alright?" Unfortunately, Vert had noticed Chika's silent fury, and the Oracle was forced to regain her composure.

"I-I'm sorry Vert, it just caught me off guard"

"Oh, trust me, I was quite surprised when I first saw her too. Isn't she adorable?" Vert had sparkles in her eyes as she looked at said adorable girl, who had finished her chocolate bar and was now smiling like a goofball, further proving Vert's point.

Chika twitched again.

"At any rate, I know this isn't the most proper of introductions, but Verna, why don't you say hi to Chika?"

Verna looked up nervously at Chika, before she waved and gave a small smile. "H-Hi"

"Hello" Chika said. She tried her absolute best not to let her anger slip out. She didn't want to look bad in front of Vert after all.

"Goodness, now you're all dirty! Let's get you cleaned up!"

Vert lifted Verna up, and carried her towards the bathroom. All while Chika just watched in anger. She knew it was wrong to hate a little girl, but she couldn't help it! She was the only thing that stood in the way between her and Vert!

She wasn't going to scream, she wasn't going to yell, and she wasn't going to cry. But she was definitely going to beat up her pillow later tonight.  



	3. Chapter 3

"Ack! Hot! Too hot!"

Verna immediately jumped out of the tub as soon as her feet touched the water. She was already naked, but she ended up clinging to Vert's back when the water nearly boiled her alive. It was quite kawaii.

"Oh come now Verna, it's not THAT bad" Vert was used to hot baths. It was something she often found herself doing after nearly giving herself carpel tunnel during her intense gaming sessions. The only downside was that Chika would always volunteer to bath her, which she WOULD sometimes accept, but that only made Chika come back more frequently, which was something she wasn't all that interested in.

"Not that bad? It nearly boiled me alive!" Verna cried, which earned a chuckle from Vert.

"Oh now your just being over dramatic. Come on, get in the tub" Vert tried to get Verna off her back, but the girl had a death grip on her shoulders, and she showed no signs of letting go anytime soon.

"Verna, please?" Vert pleaded half heartedly.

"No! You can't make me!" Verna stood her ground.

Well if she wanted to play like that, Vert would just have to play the hard way...

"Aww, thats too bad, I guess all that delicious chocolate will just go uneaten." Vert faked a pout.

Verna perked up immediately "Chocolate? Did you say...chocolate?"

Vert smiled. "Mmhm"

"With or without nuts?"

"Whichever you prefer. It'll all be yours, and all you have to do is take a bath"

Verna eyed her sister, then she eyed the bath, then she eyed her sister again.

"CHOCOLATE!" Verna exclaimed as she jumped in the tub, splashing water every where and even getting a little on Vert, who was laughing at the display of cuteness in front of her.

"Ok Verna, let me wash your-AGH!" Vert ended up getting splashed by Verna, who in turn was laughing at the sight of her sister drenched in water.

"Oh, you think that's funny. Well take THIS!" Vert splashed water back at Verna, who screamed playfully and fell in the water, accidentally soaking Vert in the process.

While the scene of absolute adorableness (yes that's a word) was going on between the sisters, Chika was staring down on it in absolute fury. First she claims Vert as her sister, but now bathing rights? From VERT?! Chika gripped the pillow she had beaten the fluff out of only moments prior. She had finally begun to calm down, when she saw...this. Chika felt like crying, the last half hour of her life was a disaster. She couldn't act like this in front of Vert, that much she would do for her.

Right now, Chika was strangling her pillow like it was a burglar trying to sneak in their house. Ok, maybe that was a TAD extreme, but she was so angry she didn't care! Upset, hurt, and not to mention angry, Chika stormed back to her room and proceeded to commit homicide on her pillows. She liked those pillows too...

After the bath, Vert had Verna's clothes all washed up (since she literally didn't have anything else) and prepped her for bed. Vert was wearing a simple, yet alluring, green nightgown.

"Verna, since I have no room for you yet, you're going to be sleeping in my bed. Is that OK?"

The girl nodded her head enthusiastically, and practically cannonballed on Vert's bed. The CPU giggled.

"All right, time for bed" Vert announced, sitting in her bed while Verna pouted.

"But I'm not tired" The small and certainly adorable yawn she let out betrayed her words. Her eyelids drooped as she struggled to stay awake. Vert smiled warmly, and laid her sister down

"Sure your not" Vert tucked Verna in, and laid next to her.

"Goodnight Ver-KYA!" Unexpectedly, Verna had latched onto Vert. She snuggled on her sisters chest "These feel so comfy, like soft pillows"

Vert was going to try and get her off, but the girl was already mostly asleep. She merely sighed and turned off the lights.

(The Next Day)

"I'm glad you all could make it here today"

Naturally, Vert had called the other CPU'S and CPU Candidate's over to Leanbox to tell them the big news. Of course, she hadn't exactly specified on why they needed to come over here so urgently, she basically just said get over here.

"Yeah yeah, just tell us why we're here" There was Blanc, a little upset that Vert had called her so soon. She was in the middle of her best work yet! She was on a roll!

"My, you're so impatient, but very well" Vert clasped her hands together, and smiled brightly "Something wonderful has happened!" Vert motioned from behind her, and Verna peeked her adorable head from behind her sisters legs.

Everyone gasped at the same time.

"Wha-Who is that?" Neptune asked.

"Vert, did you steal another kid?" Blanc accused, and all heads turned her way.

"Uh, haha, I thought we agreed never to speak of that again" Vert gulped nervously. That incident brought down her credibility a little bit, not to mention the amount of money they had to shell out to keep it quiet.

"Anyway! This is Verna, my new little sister" Vert could barely contain her joy as the words escaped her lips.

"Well it's about freaking time!" Neptune walked in front of the girl, and got on her knees "Hi there! My name is Neptune, CPU of Planeptune. But you can call me Nep, Neppy, Nep-Nep, Neptuna, whatever floats your boat!"

"Uh..." Verna didn't know how to respond to...that.

"Please don't mind her. She's...odd, to say the least" Noire said, which earned a pout from Neptune.

"You're so mean..." Neptune mumbled.

Noire rolled her eyes. "I'm Noire, CPU of Lastation" She stated proudly.

"I'm Blanc, CPU of Lowee" Blanc said. She looked like the most normal out of them, but Verna was still learning.

"N-Nice to m-meet you..." Verna was more than a little intimidated, but she wasn't going to hide behind Vert again. She had to be a big girl (even though she was the smallest one in the room, even Rom and Ram were bigger than her).

"Girls, would you like to introduce yourselves?" Vert looked towards the other Candidates, and Nepgear was the first to respond.

"Y-Yes of course!" Nepgear and the others made their way towards Verna, and she looked in awe at how big they were. She was probably half as tall as Nepgear.

"I'm Nepgear, we're CPU Candidate's like you. I hope we can become good friends" Nepgear seemed nice, if but a little awkward. Still a lot nicer than Neptune...

"I'm Uni, nice to meet you, squirt." Verna pouted a little at that nickname, but she still seemed friendly.

"I'm Ram, that's Rom. Don't mix it up, ya hear?"

"H-Hello..."

Well, Ram seemed a little...loud. But Rom looked a little nervous. She found herself relating to her.

"Ok, now that introduction's are out of the way..." Neptune cut Vert off before she could finish.

"Oh! Has she transformed yet!"

"Trans...form?" Verna was lost.

"What? You don't know what transforming is?"

Verna shook her head.

"Then let me show you!" Neptune was engulfed by a flash, and Purple Heart stood in her place a second later.

Verna's eyes bulged "Wha-Wha-What happened to t-that Nep lady. Who is SHE?!" Verna hid behind Vert in fear, while the others started to laugh. Why were they laughing?!

"That's still Neptune, silly" Vert explained.

"Yes. This is called Hard Drive Divinity, or HDD for short. All CPU'S can use this" Neptune was very different in this form. Much more preferable than that other one.

"Can you transform too, sis?" Verna turned towards Vert.

"But of course" Another flash of light, and Green Heart stood before Verna.

Verna's eyes took a vacation from her skull as she took in Green Heart.

"U-Um, where did your clothes go sis?" Verna started looking for her sisters lost clothing, and the others started laughing at her again.

Needless to say, Verna never did find her sisters lost clothes. 


	4. Chapter 4

With introductions finally out of the way, Vert found herself doing to Verna what she did with the other Candidates (and sometimes Chika) on a regular basis.

And THAT was dressing her up in all sorts of adorable outfits. Of course, Vert had to go out of her way to buy outfits that were Verna's size, but that wasn't important to her. What WAS important, was seeing how adorable her little sister looked when she dressed her up. This ranged from maid, to fairy, to even little Neko ears. Vert was taking an endless amount of pictures, and may or may not post them on the Internep later.

Verna however, didn't seem to mind. She was even striking poses every now and again. Vert nearly squealed in delight everytime Verna made a kawaii face.

Yeah, these were definitely going on the Internep.

From a safe distance, Chika growled. It's like this Verna girl was trying to piss her off in every way in every way imaginable, and it was working. By the True Goddess it was working. Chika squeezed the life out of her Vert plushie (which Plutia had oh so generously gave to her, for a price that Chika never wanted to bring up again) as she looked at the disgusting display of adorableness. She just wanted to...well she didn't know, but she was still pissed! Furiously, she stomped away and went back to her room.

"...Sis, did you hear someone stomping?" Verna, currently in a witch outfit, turned towards the door in curiosity. She thought she heard something...

"Hmm?" Vert stopped taking pictures and looked towards the door. She didn't hear anything, but maybe that was because she was so entranced with taking pictures of her adorable little sister, so she didn't notice. "I'm sure it was nothing. Now give me pouty" Vert shrugged her shoulders and went back to taking pictures. Verna sighed and went back to posing.

"Aww, these are so CUTE!" Neptune proclaimed as she hugged a picture of a dressed up Verna. Vert had went and made multiple copies of each picture she took of her sister, and the end result was pictures going up to the roof.

"But of course, she's MY little sister after all" Vert stated proudly. Noire rolled her eyes and Neptune didn't even look up from the pictures. Blanc however, just scowled.

"Why the dark look Blanc? Is someone a little...jealous?" Vert mused.

"Why would I be jealous?! I got little sisters of my own ya know!" Blanc spat.

"Maybe it's because Verna can outshine Rom and Ram in every possible way"

Blanc twitched.

"Let's be honest, the younger, the cuter. Your sisters are too old my dear"

Blanc twitched again.

"I mean, just look at the Internep's reaction. There's no way Rom and Ram can compete with Verna. This is a battle you've lost before it's even begun."

Blanc was ready to swing her axe at Vert, but Neptune stopped her before she could take it out of her inventory.

"Sooo, can I take some of these home? I just wanna hang em on my wall and stare at them in a totally not creepy fashion!"

"Be my guest. It's getting a little crowded in here anyway" With that said, Neptune took as many photos as her arms could carry. Noire took a handful with her, and Blanc took one or two out of curiosity. She then stormed out of the room with the others. Vert smiled.

"If only Verna could see that adorable side of you Blanc..." Vert said to herself. Speaking of which...

Vert left her copying room (yes she had one of those) and walked towards her own room, where Verna most likely was. Opening the door, Vert saw Verna, who was wearing Vert's headphones and was dancing with a music playlist shown on her computer. Seeing this caused Vert to smile.

That is, until her sister started singing the lyrics.

"You can find me in da club, bottle full of bub...I'm into having sex, I ain't into making love..."

To put it lightly, Vert freaked out. She hastily ran over and practically yanked the headphones off her little sisters head. She checked the playlist, and realized it was her Explicit Content one (which she had for reasons that don't need to be said here). And she was currently listening to 25 Cents hit song, In Da Club. Whoops.

"S-Sis...?" Verna looked slightly terrified at her big sisters sudden entrance. "W-What's wrong?"

Vert sighed, and put her headphones down. "Verna...this kind of music is bad. I don't want you listening to this, understand?"

Vert must have unintentionally put on a mad face, because Verna looked afraid "I'm s-sorry, I didn't know...are you m-mad?"

Vert smiled softly "No, I'm not mad. Just be careful what you listen to, ok?"

"O-Ok" Verna smiled back.

"Here, listen to this instead" Vert pulled up a playlist containing 5pb's many songs, and pressed play. Verna immediately got into it and started dancing to the beat. Vert sighed. She could only watch her sister dance, since she was currently using the computer and couldn't play 4 Goddesses Online. It just got an update too...

Speaking of using the computer, Vert was SURE that she put a block on that playlist (after a similar incident occurred a few months ago, when innocent Rom happened to stumble upon it. Blanc was not happy) so how did Verna get into it? The only people who knew the pass code were herself and Chika...

Wait a minute...

"Verna" Vert paused the music, and the girl pouted "There was a block on that playlist you were listening to. How did you get by it?"

"Oh. C-Chika typed it in for me. She was awfully nice about it..."

Vert's eyes widened. Why did Chika do that? She KNEW about the sort of content that playlist had, so why did she insist on showing it to a little girl, who technically wasn't even a week old yet?

"Sis, are you Ok? Your face is..."

"I-I'm fine, I'm just going to go talk to Chika" Vert put the music back on to distract Verna, then left her room and made her way to Chika's own. 


	5. Chapter 5

The first thing Chika heard was a knock on her door. The first thing she saw when she opened said door, was her "sister" Vert, wearing an eerily calm expression and a smile that made Chika shiver. Vert's whole demeanor just screamed bad intentions. Chika could only guess why Vert was so calm, and that was because she was ready to explode.

"M-My darling V-Vert, what brings you h-here?" Chika stuttered nervously. She tugged her collar and started to sweat.

"It seems my innocent little sister, who isn't even a week old yet mind you, somehow found her way into my Explicit Content music collection." Drips of acid leaked onto Vert's tone as she slowly walked towards Chika, making the Oracle back away. "Tell me Chika, how did she get into that collection?"

Chika backed away until she hit a wall. She was so screwed. She could FEEL Vert's animosity as she inched towards her. She didn't know what to expect, but she knew it wouldn't end well. Vert walked ever so closer to Chika, a dark glint in her eyes. Chika gulped, and prepared for the worst. Eventually, the space between them was practically nonexistent, and Vert still had that disturbingly sweet smile on her face that Chika did not like in the slightest. She braced herself.

"Um, what're you two doing?" Verna's young voice rang through Chika's room. It was like a heavenly choir started singing the moment Verna's little head peeked through the door. She'd never thought she would be this happy to see this child.

Vert was forced to cool down her anger and gave her little sister a smile. "It's nothing dear, I was just having a little talk with Chika"

"A-Are you sure, it looked like something bad was about to happen" Verna looked visually upset by this. Vert sighed and gave her sister a reassuring pat on the head.

"Everything is fine Verna. Why don't you go get a snack? I will join you shortly."

"O-Ok..." Something about this whole situation didn't sit right with Verna. For whatever reason, she didn't really believe what her sister was telling her. She felt like something was off between Vert and Miss Chika. The troubling subject stayed on her mind even after she left.

Vert had her back towards Chika as she watched her sister leave. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Vert was still mad.

"V-Vert, I..."

"Listen to me" Vert said in a tone that made Chika freeze. "I don't know what possessed you to show Verna that track, or why. I'll let you off with this warning Chika, if you EVER do something like that to MY little sister again..." Vert turned her head and Chika a cold stare.

"You will be looking for a new job."

With that said, Vert left the room to accompany Verna, leaving a very shaken Chika alone in her room. She wanted to blame Verna, but she knew damn well that it was her own fault. Her jealously for the little girl blinded her, and now she was stuck with the possibility that Vert may hate her now. Thinking about that possibility caused Chika to tense up, collapsing on her bed and grabbing the nearest pillow to cry on.

Meanwhile, Verna was rummaging through the cabinets to find something to snack on. Vert was out of chocolate (because of Verna) and she had to wait until Vert came back from the store before she would get more. This left Verna in quite the pickle. Sure there was lots of yummy looking foods, but her tummy was craving something a bit different...something she quite couldn't put her finger on...

Then she saw it.

Sitting in the back behind the marshmallows and doughnuts, sat a big red bag. The word "Doritos" was written in big letters, and underneath those letters said "Nacho Cheese." It looked very yummy, so Verna reached for the bag and pulled it out. The darn thing was bigger than her head! Opening it, Verna grabbed and inspected one of the chips, before throwing it in her mouth and tasting it.

Let's just say it escalated from there

When Vert had came back with a bag full of goodies, the last thing she was expecting was Verna sitting on the couch, her mouth and fingers covered in Nacho Cheese, and a now empty bag of Doritos. She looked like she was ready to puke.

"V-Verna...did you eat that ENTIRE bag?!" Vert asked in disbelief.

"Mmhm..." Verna grumbled. She was literally going to hurl at any second. Worriedly, Vert ran to the kitchen and grabbed a large bowl. Running back, she gave it to Verna. With perfect timing too, because Verna immediately threw up in it as soon as her hands touched the bowl.

"Ugh..." Verna groaned as her head rested on the bowl.

"What did I say about eating to much?"

"It's...bad..." Verna puked again, and Vert gave her sister a gentle rub. She was a little mad at her for eating the whole bag, but she couldn't deny the awesome taste of Doritos. Those chips were addictive. Which is why she had a secret cabinet stocked with them, not that she would tell Verna this of course. The poor kid was still puking them back up.

Later that night, as the two Leanbox sisters were snuggling each other, Verna felt the enormous sensation to pee. Carefully, she released herself of Vert's rather tight grip, and made her way towards the bathroom.

On the way, she walked past Chika's room, with the door barely open a crack. It made Verna stop. She hadn't seen Miss Chika since this morning, and it made her worried. The whole thing about Vert being upset with her was still bothering the small girl. She didn't want her new family too be upset with each other, that was the last thing she wanted. Verna may not have known a lot, but she did know that family wasn't supposed to be like this. She didn't want her sister to be mad, or Miss Chika to be upset, even if she didn't know the reason why. She supposed she could just ask them the next time they were together, and just go from there. Yeah, that seemed to work for her, as her bladder was close to exploding at that point. Silently, she ran down the halls and finally made it to the bathroom. After the relieving sensation of peeing, Verna made it back to her sisters room and climbed back in bad, where she was caught in another death hug by Vert.

Her plan for tomorrow set, Verna drifted off to sleep once more, hoping that things would be better between her sister and Miss Chika soon. 


	6. Chapter 6

Beams of light coming from the morning sun struck Verna right in the face. Her face scrunched up as she pulled the blanket to her face in a vain attempt to ward off the evil light. Her efforts proved unsuccessful, as the light easily cast through the blanket. Groaning, Verna begrudgingly sat up and rubbed her eyes. She felt absolutely terrible. She loved sleeping, but she liked being awake too. It was just the transition, waking up, that made it a pain. She was having such a nice dream, then she was RIPPED out of what her brain was doing to make her happy...

Wait a minute.

Verna noticed that her big fluffy body pillow of a sister was missing from the bed. This was odd, since Vert was always next to Verna when she woke up. A little worried, Verna got out of bed and groggily walked out of her sisters room (and almost hitting the door in the process).

When she walked down the hallway, Verna felt a powerful, yet delicious scent hit her at full force. Her stomach growled at the perfect time, since she puked up her "little" snack yesterday, she was starving.

Finally making it to the kitchen, she noticed 3 things. Her big sister in her usual alluring green nightwear, Miss Chika wearing an apron, and something that smelled very delicious on the stove. It made Verna practically drool just looking at it. "My, someone's up early. Did you sleep well?" Vert asked her clearly still tired little sister. Verna groggily nodded in response and sat in a chair, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to wake herself up. Vert smiled at the sight, her sister was so adorable that she couldn't even stand it. It was taking all of her willpower to not get up and hug her right now.

"Watcha making...?" Verna asked tiredly. The only thing that was keeping her awake was the tantalizing aroma of whatever was in that pan.

"Chika is making omelets" Vert replied flatly. Chika didn't even respond as she mixed the various ingredients in the pan.

Verna would have to be stupid to not notice something was wrong here.

Vert and Chika didn't even look at each other once when Verna entered. Her sister seemed a little distant, and Chika was unresponsive. It made Verna worried and upset. Were things worse between them then Verna had realized? What had happened in Miss Chika's room after she left? Verna didn't want them to be upset with each other, and was even about to ask them what was wrong.

Unfortunately, her stomach had growled, loud enough for Vert and Chika to hear over the sound of omelet sizzling. Verna blushed.

"Someone sounds hungry. Breakfast is almost done dear" Vert chuckled.

After a few minutes, Chika served them both delicious looking omelets. Verna wasted no time digging into it. She was like an animal who had just caught their prey, and had no shame in doing a messy job.

"Verna."

"Hmm?" Verna looked up to see Vert give her a disproving look. She had bits of omelet on her face and even on her clothes.

"You may be a child, but such...improper manners are not excusable here. Please don't eat like a savage." Vert lightly chastised.

"Thowwy." Verna tried to apologize, but it was hard considering her mouth was so full of food. She wiped her face and attempted to eat like a civilized Goddess. Vert sighed.

After breakfast, things just seemed...awkward between the three. It was more noticeable with Vert and Chika, who both looked like they were purposely avoiding each other. Verna was left watching cartoons by herself, unsure of what to do. The little characters on the flat screen did little to distract her, leaving her to wonder how she should approach this situation. Who should she ask? She barely knew Miss Chika, so maybe it would be best to ask her? She knew that her sister was currently playing some MMO's or whatever they're called, and she didn't want to bother her.

Nodding to herself, the young Candidate got up from the couch and started to run towards Miss Chika's room.

The Oracle in question was currently squeezing the life out of her Vert-sized hug pillow. She was cursing herself as tears streamed down her face. She had so badly wanted to pin all the blame on that DAMN kid, that kid who claimed to Vert's little sister. Her Vert.

It just wasn't right! She was here first! And now she was being kicked to the curb! What kind of betrayal was this?!

Chika heard a knock on her door, and before she could answer it...

"M-Miss Chika?"

It was her. That kid. The source of all her anger and frustration. Chika could feel her muscles tense as she thought more and more about her. Why was SHE here? Did she just want to rub in how close she and Vert were? Did she just want to mock her for potentially destroying her relationship with Vert?

Regardless, Chika had to push her anger to the side. Vert would not be happy if she saw her screaming at the kid.

"What is it?" Chika growled. On the other side of the door, Verna shook at the Oracles tone, but she had to be strong.

"M-May I come in?"

Verna heard the sound of things banging, and rummaging. After a minute or two, she heard the door unlock, and there stood Miss Chika, looking absolutely miserable.

"What do you want?" Chika asked in a dead tone. She motioned for Verna to come in, and the small girl parked herself on Chika's big soft bed. She looked at the Oracle with concern.

"I just wanted to talk to you." Verna replied.

"What did you want to talk about?" Chika asked in the same tone, sitting at least an arms length away from Verna.

"W-Well..." Verna looked at the ground, nervous. She twiddled her fingers as she tried to figure out how to approach this. It must've been something bad if Miss Chika looked this miserable. Her eyes were red, and her hair was disheveled. What happened to make Chika look like this?

"Well what?" Chika's question snapped Verna out of her thoughts. Come on girl, you can do this. Just focus.

"I-It's just...what happened between you and sis?"

Chika choked. She didn't expect the kid to ask that. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the little girl, curiosity shining in her eyes. "U-Uh...I..." Chika couldn't even form words right now. Her throat felt like it was being strangled, and she ended up choking on her own words.

"You and sis have been avoiding each other, why?" Verna was pressing the matter, and Chika looked like she was having a mini heart attack. Was it too soon? Did she mess up? No Verna, don't back down now. You started this so you may as well finish it.

"L-Listen, if you want to k-know what happened between us, a-ask Vert. But..." Chika bit her lip, tears welling up. "I don't think your sister likes me anymore."

It was at that point Verna crawled to where Chika was sitting. Surprised, the Oracle was about to ask what the heck she was doing when...

...she gave Chika a hug.

Chika's eyes were wide. The girl had her arms wrapped around her, and didn't look like she was going to let go. Chika didn't particularly hate this, but it was still surprising. The girl she had felt such animosity to before was now comforting her with a hug. Chika didn't know how to respond to this.

"I like you Miss Chika..." Verna said in a soft tone.

Was Chika crying? She was sure she was crying right now. It wasn't out of sadness though, more...happiness? Why was she feeling like this towards this girl of all people? You know what? She didn't care. Chika wrapped her arms around Verna and hugged her right back, who of which had a smile on her face. Both enjoyed the embrace, and wouldn't be letting go of each other for quite a while.

Unbeknownst to the both of them, Vert herself had seen the whole display through the barely open door. She was actually going to talk with Chika about the issue, but it seemed Verna had beaten her to the punch. She had a warm smile on her face as she watched the display of affection between the two, then silently closed the door, and made her way back to her own room. 


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning had started off without incident. Verna had ended up sleeping in Chika's room, which had lead to unintentional cuddling on the Oracles part, and that had lead to a very embarrassed Chika when she woke up. She was very careful not to wake the sleeping girl up either way. Even though she was never going to admit it, Verna really did make her feel better. It made her like Verna...a little. Just a little. She was left to wonder if Vert would ever forgive her, even if the actual crime wasn't that serious, it was WHO she did it to that had sparked such animosity in the first place.

Shaking her head, Chika rose from her bed and started getting dressed. A still sleeping Verna grumbled at the loss of her object of snuggling, and settled on the Vert-body pillow instead. Verna smiled in content, while Chika's eye twitched. Relax Chika, she's just a little girl. Don't lose your cool.

Sighing, Chika left her room and made her way towards the kitchen, hoping she can make it up to Vert by making a delicious breakfast. Maybe some omelets? Or some pancakes? Or she could try-

"Good morning Chika."

Of course, Chika didn't expect her dearest to already be in the kitchen. As such, she jumped a good several feet at the sound of her voice. Vert let out a chuckle as Chika tried to restart her heart. When she turned to face Vert, she grew mortified.

"U-Uh, V-Vert...I...I mean...y-you weren't..." Chika tripped over her words, trying to come up with something to say. Vert simply smiled.

"Chika, calm down. I'm not mad anymore."

Chika stood there, stunned. "Y-You're not?" Chika felt like she was having deja vu, sans Verna pigging out on the snacks.

"No. I saw what happened in your bedroom last night."

Chika's eyes widened. A wave of embarrassment came over her when she realized this. S-She never thought Vert would catch her in that sort of state! And with Verna of all people just made it even worse! But...since Vert was smiling at her in the first time in days, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing?

"I've thought about it, and perhaps I may have been too harsh on you Chika. You and Verna seem to get along well, and as long as you promise to never do something like that again, then I'll forgive you for what-"

Vert didn't get to finish, as she was caught in a bone crushing hug by the Oracle. For a girl her stature, she was ridiculously strong.

"THANKYOUTHANKYOTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!" Came the string of thanks from Chika. She didn't really seem to notice that Vert's face was starting to turn blue from lack of oxygen.

"Urk...C-Chika...c-crushing me..." Strained Vert. Realizing that her beloved was an interesting , yet startling, shade of blue, she finally let go. The CPU had to gasp for air after.

"Sorry." Said an embarrassed Chika.

"I-It's alright..."

"Mmm...What's going on?"

The two turned to see a barley awake Verna. Her eyes were half closed and she looked like she was going to collapse at any second. She actually did zone out for a bit, and would have fell on her face had she not woken up at the last second and frantically regained her balance. Vert chuckled, then noticed something peculiar in Verna's right hand. Chika noticed it too, and blanched.

"I-Is that...?"

"NAGH!" Chika practically dove and grabbed the object in Verna's hands. What was it you may ask? A special premium body pillow of Green Heart that Chika had ordered 3 months ago. Now this wouldn't be such a bad thing, had Green Hearts image not been of her in the nude. Both Chika and Vert blushed, more Chika than Vert.

"W-W-Where did you find this?!" A mortified Chika asked. She hid this thing! She only brought this out for...er...special occasions! How did SHE get her hands on it?!

"Well...I found it in a closet when I woke up...it's really comfy, but there were some weird white stains on it..."

"Ug...guh..." Chika couldn't even form comprehensible words. Her face turned a whole new shade of red as steam rose from her ears. Vert was giving her a look that tripled her already mass embarrassment. Slowly, she walked back to her room and just threw it in there, before repeatedly banging her head against her door in sheer embarrassment and frustration. Verna didn't really understand, but this she wanted to say:

"I really liked the picture. You have a great body sis..."

"U-Uh..." Vert was at a loss for words. Verna's comment was laced with innocence, and she was grateful for that, but she really needed to double check the Basilicom. This was what, the second time Verna ran into something inappropriate in the last two days? She was pretty sure she heard Chika screaming in the background "W-Would you like some breakfast?"

"Please..."

Sighing somewhat miserably over what just happened, Vert opened the cabinets to make something for Verna...

...Only to be met with complete and utter nothingness.

"Oh my, I think I need to go shopping again..." Vert grimaced, realizing that she had nothing to cook for Verna. It was at that point Chika came back, red faced but other wise calm.

"I'm back..." Chika deadpanned.

"Hiya..." Said Verna, completely and innocently oblivious to the embarrassment she just caused the Oracle. She glared at her in response.

"Chika, it seems we are low on food. Could you please make some toast for Verna while I go shopping?"

"Absolutely." Chika said, hoping that Vert wanted to forget about the situation as much as she did. Considering the look she got from the CPU, it was quite possible. Getting the bread, Chika pulled out two slices and put them in the toaster. In the process, she ended up knocking a glass of water over and spilled it over the leftover bread on the table.

"Ah damn it!" Exclaimed Chika.

"Chika, language! Not in front of Verna!" Vert chastised.

"I'm sorry darling! It's just...uh, is she alright?" Both women turned their heads to look at Verna. She was staring at the water soaked bread like it was a monster, and her face was as green as Green Hearts hair.

"Verna, are you alright dear?" Vert asked in worry.

Verna didn't answer. She chose to bolt from the kitchen and head to the bathroom, where she proceeded to puke in the toilet.

"Oh my Verna, are you sick?!" Vert asked, even more worried than before. She placed a hand on her sisters head while she was resting. She FELT alright at least.

"W-Wet bread...I hate...wet bread..." Verna groaned, then proceeded to throw up yet again.

...What?

"Wet bread makes you nauseous?" Vert asked in bewilderment.

The Candidate nodded meekly in response. Her head rested on the toilet, not quite sure if she was going to puke again or not.

"...Alright then..." Vert didn't really have a response to this. It was a very...odd thing to get sick over. All she could really say was: "Who knew?" She gave Verna's back a comforting rub, hoping it was giving her some comfort in her moment of misery.

-O-

Boys. That's all Verna saw in her sisters room. Well, 40% of it anyway. And it wasn't regular boy stuff either, it was a little something called Yaoi. You see, for those you don't know, Vert has a love for Yaoi. Her room had a sort of collection for this sort of thing, ranging from books, to posters, to even Visual Novels on her computer. She had introduced it to Nepgear at one point, and she felt that she wanted to do the same with Verna.

The only problem was, she was particularly interested in this sort of thing.

It's not that she hated it or anything, it just wasn't her cup of tea. The young Candidate stared at the computer screen, where she was in the middle of playing one of Vert's endless Yaoi VN's. She sat there with an uninterested expression, reading through it mindlessly and clicking the mouse every now and then. She was about to zone out when she heard the door clicking, and she saw Chika enter the room.

"Hi Miss Chika." Verna greeted off handedly. "What are you doing in sis's room?"

"My dearest is taking a shower, and she wants me to supply her with a towel." Replied Chika, trying her best to get over the fact Verna was in here with her. She noticed the deadpan look on the girls face, and raised an eyebrow. "Why are you in here, and what's with that look?"

"Well, sis is trying to get me into these Yaoi games, but...it's not something I'm interested in."

Chika's eyes widened, shocked that Vert's own flesh and blood wasn't into Yaoi. As Verna continued to sit there, Chika felt the need to help her out. Just this once.

"Well, if you're not interested, let me introduce you to a better alternative..." Clicking out of the little window, Chika pulled up a web search and typed something in, then left with a towel in hand, silently hoping that she would get to dry Vert off.

Verna sat there, her interest peaked as she looked at the various images and videos. All created by one word that changed Verna's life.

Yuri.

Vert walked back into her room, a towel wrapped around her neck with still wet hair, and was shocked to see what had happened during her shower.

"V-Verna, what is this?"

"Miss Chika introduced me to Yuri! Girl Love is where it's at!" Verna proclaimed, who was currently watching a Yuri anime. One could practically see the hearts in Verna's eyes during a kissing scene between the main characters. Vert's eye twitched.

"Chika...YOU TRAITOR!" Vert exclaimed in comical rage. An evil laugh could be heard in the background, leading Vert charge after it, leaving Verna alone with her precious Yuri once more. 


	8. Chapter 8

"Nice place you got here."

It had been an average day for Verna. She spent the first half of it munching on Doritos and watching cartoons. She would have been perfectly fine spending the whole day like this, had her sister not gotten a call from Neptune and had a "proposal" to offer. You see, Neptune felt that the CPU Candidates needed to spend more time with Verna. And apparently, the others seemed to agree with her. Neptune conducted a sleep over at her place for them. She and the other CPU's would be out of their hair for the whole night while they spent some quality time together. Vert had wholeheartedly agreed with this, and that's how Verna ended up in Neptune's Basilicom. She was greeted by Nepgear, clad in a purple tank top with purple and white stripped pants and slippers. Behind her was Uni, wearing a black nightdress with equally black ribbons ribbons in hair, and Rom and Ram, wearing sleeveless nightdresses (Ram a pink one and Rom a blue one) and without their hats. Verna was wearing the same outfit, since it was pretty much pajama wear in itself, and brought two things with her. A Green Heart body pillow (clothed, well not really, cause it's Green Heart) she borrowed from Chika's room, and a big bag of Doritos she snuck by hiding it in the pillow. Vert had dropped her off since Verna couldn't transform yet, and it was just her and the other Candidates for the whole night.

It was...kinda awkward.

"Hello Verna, it's nice to see you again." Said Nepgear politely. They had only seen each other a total of once, and that was a week ago. Verna just smiled at her and placed her goodies on the floor, where Ram got interested in the big red bag of goodies.

"Oooh, what's this?" Ram asked.

"It's a bag of Doritos, sis has these things everywhere." Verna opened the bag of heavenly snacks and started munching. The twins sat there, staring and drooling.

"Can we...have some?" Rom asked.

"Knock yourselves out." Immediately the two dug their hands in grabbed as much as they could carry. "H-Hey, don't take the whole bag!" Her pleas fell on deaf ears and they ended up taking 2 handfuls.

"You said *munch munch* help yourselves!" Ram grinned. Verna pouted.

"Anyways...since our sisters wanted us to bond, why don't we play some games?" Nepgear offered. Uni was just staring at Gear...for some reason. Maybe it was the top? It did put extra emphasis on her bust, and exposed her belly since it was a little small. In fact, one could see a bit of a nosebleed.

"Sure, what kinda games you got?" Asked Verna whilst eating more chips.

"Super Smash Sisters is pretty big right now! We can play the new one for the Lowee U!" Ram excitedly pulled out the system, game in tow, and held it up proudly. "Super what?" Verna, having never heard of this game before, tilted her head in confusion.

"Wha-You NEVER heard of Super Smash Sisters?" Asked Ram, repeating what was clearly already said.

"Nope." Verna answered simply. Ram however, grew frantic.

"Quick Rom, plug in the system! We need to get some Smash in her NOW!"

-O-

"Why are we here Neptune?" Came the annoyed voice of Lowee's CPU. After they had dropped their respective sisters off, Noire, Blanc and Vert were called by the dim-witted Goddess to come to her room. Naturally they were curious, but Blanc and Noire had better things to do (read and work respectively) so they hoped it would be good.

"Well ladies, as Juniors big sis it's my job to worry! In this case, the sleepover!" Neptune pointed her finger up in a dramatic manner, the other 3 just sweat dropped.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Noire deadpanned.

"Because my dearest Tsundere, ANYTHING could happen in a sleepover! I've seen those movies, I know how it goes down!" Nep responded.

"I AM NOT A TSUNDERE!" Noire screamed, but she was promptly ignored.

"Neptune, while I think it's sweet that you care, don't you think you're...overreacting?" Vert asked.

"Yeah, what exactly do you expect them to do anyway? They're just girls."

"Oho, but that's where you're wrong Blanny! For I have found this!" Nep reached into her hammerspace and pulled out a book. It was pink in color and had a little lock (now unlocked) and if one looked close enough, they could see..."Nep Jr's Diary! I've been skimming through this baby all day!"

"Isn't reading someone's diary a serious invasion of privacy?" Noire asked.

"I wasn't reading silly, I was skimming." Noire rolled her eyes. "Anywho, I found some juicy secrets in this baby, most of which involve a certain Tsundere Jr~"

"Uni?! Gimme that!" Noire snatched the diary from Neptune's mischievous hands, and sure enough found Uni's name in a ton of pages. Some had hearts around her sisters name, others had surprisingly well drawn sketches of them doing...colorful things. Noire blushed, looks like Nepgear wasn't as innocent as she once thought.

"That is why I invited you all here! For THIS!" Neptune pulled out a remote and pressed it as dramatically as she could. A screen slid out from the wall, and on it showed their little sisters playing a game. "I had security cameras installed a few weeks ago, so I'm putting 'em to good use!"

"...Why did you install security cameras?" Asked Blanc in bewilderment.

"Reasons..." Neptune said plainly. She would never tell them the REAL reason, which was to totally not spy on Nep Jr when she was doing private things (And she most certainly did not have an extra camera installed in Juniors shower either.) Nope, nothing like that at all.

Nep plopped down in her purple beanbag, and grabbed a bag of popcorn. "Are you gonna join me in peeping on our sisters?" Neptune gestured to 3 beanbags beside her. There was a black one, a green one, and a white one respectively. The three stared at her for a moment, then shared a collective sigh. They were already here, and Neptune had gone out of her way to set this up. It was creepy, but still...

Letting out one last sigh, the 3 sat down in their color coded beanbags and watched the screen.

"We're horrible people..." Blanc muttered under her breath as she grabbed a handful of popcorn. 


	9. Chapter 9

"DIE VERNA DIE!"

"NEVER!"

Well that's a good way to start of a match. The 5 were currently playing Smash. Rather intensely at that. Nepgear picked Sonic, Uni picked Captain Falcon, Ram picked Pikachu, Rom picked Kirby and Verna picked Luigi. Ram was going out of her way to attack Verna, but she wasn't having any of that. Nepgear and Uni formed a temporary alliance and attacked poor Rom. Ram would have came to her sisters aid had she not been trying to murder Verna. The CPU's themselves were amused at the insanity of the match.

"GET OVER HERE ROM!" Shouted Uni.

"Eep!" Rom responded, trying to run away from the insane Candidate. She was the only one that currently wasn't losing her mind over this game. Even the normally polite and shy Nepgear was trying to kill her.

Verna, realizing that Rom was in trouble, retaliated against the berserker Ram by doing a sudden throw attack that threw her off the stage. Her character exploded off screen.

"NO!" Ram screamed. In a fit of rage, she tackled the blonde down in real life.

"It seems your anger is heritary." Said Vert smugly. Blanc cursed under her breath in response. Ram started strangling Verna to the point where the others had to pull the two apart.

After the match that almost destroyed their friendship, the Candidates decided to play a much more...calmer game. The game? Digcraft.

"I have built a store." Nepgear stated proudly.

"I'm digging for gold...AH!" Said Ram, only to be immediately blown up by a Creeper. Ironic, since her character was dressed like one in the game. The others struggled to stifle their laughter.

"I have built a Nether Portal." Said Verna.

"Already?! How did you get one?!" Ram asked.

"How DID I get portal?" Verna asked rhetorically.

"Smartass..." Blanc mumbled.

"And why is there a pig here? How'd I get a pig already?!"

Some time later...

"Hey Ram is-OH THAT'S NOT RAM!" Verna panicked as she built blocks around herself to protect herself from the Creeper that she thought was Ram.

"Going in the water, hold my nose." Ram jumped in the water and made blubbering effects.

"That's a lot of nose to hold..." Said Verna.

Uni, Nepgear, Rom and the CPU's proceeded to laugh their ass's off.

"Wow Verna..." Ram looked slightly hurt by that comment, Verna gave her a pat on the back.

"I love ya Ram."

"Yeah, I feel it..."

"How big of a hole is it? Oh it's a big one!" Rom proceeded to fall down a chasm and die right in front of Uni. Said Candidate laughed at her.

"Hey how's it going?" Verna asked Nepgear. She was crafting some tools in a hole she dug, and jumped when she saw Verna's character.

"Good...why are you in my hole? Go away."

"Alright." Verna left. Nepgear checked her chest, and noticed something.

"Verna you stole my iron!"

"I don't know what you're talking about..."

"VERNA!"

"EAT SNOWBAAAALLLL!" Verna shouted as she threw her winter artillery at a freaking Ender Dragon.

After that, they played a shooting game.

"WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" And it just so happened to be Uni's perfect environment. Shocker I know, but she was going nuts.

Ram was trying to figure out how to play the darn thing, Rom was scouting just a little ways behind her and Nepgear was hiding from the crazed Uni. Verna luckily was on Uni's team, but she was just as disturbed as the others were about her behavior.

On the other end, Noire facepalmed.

"What does this button do?" Ram activated a grenade. "AHHH!" The grenade exploded, and Ram quite pathetically flopped on the ground from the explosion. Rom, witnessing this, slowly lost it.

"Let the record show that Rom is dying." Verna said as Rom laughed into her hat, red faced and crying.

"I-I-I can't b-breath...AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Rom laughed hysterically, falling off the couch and clutching her stomach.

"She's hyperventilating!" Ram panicked, going to her sisters side to try and do whatever she could to shake her out of her laughing fit. "Breath Rom breath!"

"O-Ow...Ow, m-my tummy..." Her efforts were in vain, and Rom continued to laugh to death.

Blanc went wide eyed. She had NEVER seen her little sister laugh that hard before, and right now she was-oh goddess did she just throw up?!

"Can't say I blame little Rommy, happened to me once." Nep stuck her tongue out upon remembering.

"You ok Rom?" Asked a concerned Verna. Rom had literally thrown up (thankfully) in a bowl. Her face was still red and her cheeks were stained with tears, but she was taking deep breaths as Ram rubbed her back.

"Y-Yeah...I gotta...recollect..." Rom breathed.

"This is why I don't show funny stuff to her. She laughs WAY to hard." Said a slightly annoyed Ram.

"Alright then."

After that, the fivesome settled on watching a movie. It was a romance, if one would like to call it that. It was called Moonlight, and it was just...

"FAIRES SPARKLE, NOT VAMPIRES!" Yeah, it wasn't that good. Honestly, it was laughably bad. That's what Verna was doing as she was eating some more Doritos

"I thought I hid those!" Vert exclaimed. Verna would be in for a scolding when she got home.

"Hey Blanny, didn't ya pitch this idea to someone?" Asked Nep. The CPU responded by smacking her hand with her book.

"Ouchies! I'll take that as a yes..." Nep mumbled as she nursed her hand.

"I thought the atrocious writing was familiar." Noire said smugly. Blanc growled.

After that, they watched a horror movie. Uni was unknowingly gripping Nepgear, much to the girls delight. Rom hid behind Ram, who was hiding under her hat and covering her ears. Verna just laughed at the scary parts and continued to eat her chips.

"Wowzers, your sis has nerves of steel." Nep said in awe.

"Horror movies do not affect me either, so it's to be expected from MY little sister." Vert said with pride. Blanc was glaring holes at her the whole time. Noire was just disappointed that HER younger sister was being such a wuss. She felt ashamed.

Insert random jumpscare and Verna laughing here. Noire screamed and latched onto the first thing she could grab.

"Wow Noirey, if ya wanted to cuddle, all you had to do was ask~"

Horror and embarrassment slowly filled the Lastation CPU when she realized what she had grabbed. Blushing, she looked up and saw Neptune's grinning face. She also noticed that her breasts were squeezing up against Neptune's arm. At least she knew why she was grinning.

BONK! "OUCHIES! Again!" Noire clocked Neptune right on the head, prompting her to rub it in pain. The still red faced Tsundere huffed and looked back at the screen.

"Meanie Noirey..."

"S-Shut up!"

Finally, it was time for bed. A sleeping Nepgear was snuggling against Uni like a stuffed animal, making her blush in her sleep (you can do that?!), Rom and Ram snuggled against each other, and Verna was snuggling the heck out of the Green Heart body pillow. All but Vert had fallen asleep as well (and Nep had totally not taken the chance to snuggle Noire in her sleep, because why not.) Blanc had fallen asleep with her book on her face, and Vert was left to stare at her adorable little sister sleeping peacefully. She was truly lucky to have Verna, and not a day had gone by where she wasn't thankful for the beautiful gift she was given. Chika was seemingly warming up to her as well, which was good. Things were finally starting to look up, and nothing could possibly ruin that. Right?

Oh how wrong you are Vert. Oh how WRONG you are.


	10. Chapter 10

The sleepover had gone well enough. The Candidates had a good time and so did Verna. Of course, this didn't save the young Goddess from a scolding when she got home. It wasn't about her stealing the Doritos without her permission (though she was mad about that as well), it was that the bag was EXPIRED. And Rom and Ram, who ate like half the bag, spent the rest of the day by the toilet because of it. Verna had one heck of an immune system to not get sick after that, but Vert had gotten a very wordy and very COLORFUL message from Blanc about Verna poisoning her sisters.

THAT was the reason Vert was upset.

Of course, the blonde couldn't stay mad at her dear sister for TOO long, so she simply banned Verna from watching T.V. and playing video games for the rest of the day. She was still allowed Internet access, Vert wasn't THAT cruel.

This left the young blonde to watch NepTube on Vert's computer, headphones placed and eyes glued to the screen. It shouldn't be surprising that she was watching Yuri anime, Chika's introduction had her totally hooked after all, and she was watching a new episode of Yuri Yuru.

The title was self explanatory.

As Verna watched a fantasy scene of two girls (courtesy of a perverted bespectacled character, who had a tendency to bleed from the nose whenever she had these fantasies. She should really get that checked out.) she couldn't help but wonder what that felt like. All the hugging, the kissing, the passionate words shared between them, it all looked so GOOD.

So good, that Verna wanted to try it herself.

Pausing the video, the Candidate wondered how she was going to achieve this. The most she wanted was a kiss, but who from? She had a feeling that Nepgear and Uni had a thing for each other, so she felt it would be wrong to interfere with potential love, and Rom and Ram where still sick (courtesy of her, but that was besides the point.) She barely knew the other CPU's too...maybe her sister would be willing? The loli pondered this.

Just then, Verna heard the sound of someone tiptoeing inside the room. Her eyes darted to the source of the noise, and realized that it was just Chika (who didn't seem to notice Verna sitting at the desk.)

"Hi Miss Chika!"

Following that greeting was a series of mini-heart attacks for the Oracle. "Oh sorry, did I scare you?"

"S-Scare would be an u-understatement..." Said Chika as she gripped her chest.

"Why are you in sis's room?" Verna questioned.

"U-Uh...I...w-was..." Think Chika think! "I-I'm getting her laundry!" Good enough I guess. Chika immediately went for the hamper, hoping to divert suspicion from the little blonde.

"Oh, alright." Then Chika remembered that she was dealing with a 5-year old, so she was safe.

"S-So, what are you watching?" Chika felt that she should be at least a little friendly towards her, even going as far as to offer a small smile.

"Yuri Yuru, and it gave me an idea..." A tiny blush formed on the Candidates face when she said this.

"Oh? What is...it..." Chika noticed the scene on the computer, two girls kissing, then she saw Verna's reddened face. When she realized what was going on in the young girls mind, the Oracle gulped.

"Miss Chika...you're very pretty..." Verna got off of her chair and started approaching the green-haired woman. Chika could feel cold sweats run down her body as she backed away from the child.

"U-Uh...t-thanks but..." Chika hit a wall. "T-This isn't...I-I mean, y-you can't..."

"Why not?" Verna tilted her head, genuinely confused. 'If those girls can do it, why can't we?"

"Y-You don't understand!" There was a number of reasons why this was wrong, the biggest one being that Verna was a kid, and Chika just turned 20! This could be taken VERY wrong VERY easily. Plus, she knew that her dearest Vert's reaction to her making liplock with her little sister would be...less than pleasant.

"What do you mean? It's just a kiss..." Verna still wasn't grasping the wrongness of the situation, and the space between them was slowly drawing to a close.

"I-I...well..." Left with nothing else, Chika was left with one last option: half-assed on-the-spot excuses! "Y-You're too young! Little girls l-like you have to w-wait until you're older!"

Verna frowned, puffing her cheeks out in annoyance. "Aww, that's not fair! Grownups always get the fun stuff!"

Chika resisted the urge to grin as Verna bought the lie hook, line, and sinker. Instead she gave the girl a sympathetic look.

"Don't fret too much, I was only 15 when I got my first kiss." That wasn't actually a lie. Chika remembered in crystal clear detail about the day she accidentally kissed her beloved Vert. She was running down the hall, she didn't see Vert around the corner, and their lips collided. It was only for a split second, but the Oracle recounted everything. That was also the day Chika found out her love's lips tasted like mints.

"Well, can I at least kiss you on the cheek?" Asked Verna with a hopeful look. Chika sighed.

"Yeah...I guess that's alright." Chika lowered herself within kissing distance of the blonde loli, much to her excitement, and expected nothing more than a kiss on the cheek.

But instead found herself with a kiss ON THE LIPS.

It was only for a good three seconds, but that was alllll Verna needed to strike. She didn't care if she was breaking some kind of grownup rule or something. Kissing a woman as beautiful as Chika was SO worth the possibility of getting in trouble

The Oracle herself was wide eyed and blushing, both from embarrassment and anger, over the little stunt Verna had pulled. When she was done, Verna released and was grinning ear to ear.

"Wow, that was awesome! Thanks Miss Chika~" Verna quickly ran away laughing, leaving an essentially ticking time bomb of an Oracle alone, just waiting to explode.

"Y-You...YOU LITTLE TWERP! GET BACK HERE!" Chika screamed as she ran out the room to get to Verna. Laughter could be heard in the distance.

Just another day in Leanbox's Basilicom. 


	11. Chapter 11

"Oh, look at that!"

The day after the sleepover, the Leanbox sisters decided to go out shopping. They were running low on food again (courtesy of Verna, being the glutton that she was) and Vert was looking for new releases. As such they found themselves in the mall. They weren't alone however. They crossed paths with Blanc on the way over, looking for something that could only be found in Leanbox.

"Rom and Ram have a stomach virus now, I'm looking for some medicine..." Blanc was glaring holes at Verna the whole time, making her shrink behind her big sister. "Please don't be too angry with her, she had no clue." Vert tried to reason, but Blanc didn't listen.

"She poisoned my fucking sisters..." Said Blanc in cold fury (no pun intended.)

"Blanc, language!" Vert covered her sisters ears, but Blanc was still giving her the death stare.

Verna whimpered.

"Aww cheer up Blanny! Verty said she didn't means it!" Oh yeah, Nep was here too, with Gear in tow, giving the brunette a pat on the back as she tried to ease her mood. The CPU just growled.

"You're not helping. In fact, why the hell are you two even here?!" Blanc asked in frustration.

"Well well welly well well..." That was a lot of wells "Juniors been eyeing this super complicated looking gizmo for awhile now, so im'ma gonna get it for 'er!"

"S-Sis, I told you I could get it myself..." Said Nepgear in embarrassment.

"Nonsense Junior!" Neptune objected. "What if some weirdo comes by and tries to take advantage of your womanly charms? You've already got halfa my buds falling for you, who's to say some creeper won't try and kidnap you?! I can't let that happen Junior, I just CAN'T!"

"S-Sis please!" Nepgear was growing more and more embarrassed of Nep's over the top behavior, especially since they were in public. She could practically FEEL the stares.

Blanc just blinked. "I sometimes fail to understand the way you speak Neptune...this would be one of those times."

"Aww, don't be such a Sour Sally Blanny! Heehee, that rhymed."

"No it didn't..." Blanc deadpanned.

"Well anyways, I'm gonna goes and get that present for Junior! Tallyho-!" And thus Nep ventured off to get her dear younger sister a gift, with said younger sister walking shamefully behind her. Blanc just sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"She always gets on my damn nerves,..." Blanc whispered furiously, and sometimes feeling bad for Nepgear about having a sister like...that. She finally, thankfully found a pharmacy section of the mall. It was as simple as a medicine purchase right? What could possibly go wrong?

"How can I help you sir?"

 _ **"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH**_!"

"O-Oh my..."

The cashier had made the grave mistake of calling Blanc "sir." As such, screams of unholy satanic rage and a maddening amount of obscenities followed after. She had transformed and started tearing the store a new one with her mighty and extremely deadly axe, various passersby either staring wide eyed, filming it with their phones, running away or carrying their loved ones to safety (like Nep was. Quite literally.)

"S-Sis, p-put me down!" Yelled Nepgear as she was hoisted above the older Nep's head.

"Can't do that Junior! Blanny's pure unadulterated rage has reared it's ugly head once more! I have to protect youuuuu!" And so, being the oh so loving sister that she was, Neptune ran off with her Junior to a safe zone.

When the carnage was done, Blanc exited the store with a satisfied look on her face. The store however, was completely wrecked. It was at the point where it couldn't even BE called a store anymore.

"I got the medicine..." Blanc smiled, holding a bottle close to her. Even though her tone suggested that she was alright, her eyes were bloodshot, and her body twitched violently every now and then. She also had an utterly psychotic smile on her face. She even had blood stains on her. Lovely.

"I-I think h-her r-rage broke..." Nep shuddered, returning after realizing it was all clear.

"I-I don't think I-I've ever seen her r-react so violently b-before..." Said an equally terrified Nepgear.

Oh, wait 'til Mina hears about this, and judging by the various people with their phones out, it wouldn't take that long for it to spread. The twins would probably be finding this enjoyable if they weren't miserable and bedridden.

Blanc cocked her head, and gave them a wave. They trembled.

"She scares me..." Said a paled and frightened Verna, gripping onto Vert's side like it was her life support. The blonde gave her a comforting pat.

"You're not the only one dear, you're not the only one." Vert shuddered upon recounting the various times Blanc had let her anger loose, mostly directed at Vert herself. The property damage was always in the millions, but it was nothing THIS extreme.

As if to prove her point, the store collapsed on itself. The snapped CPU of Lowee simply walked away, that smile still etched on her face.

Vert hurriedly pushed her possibly traumatized sister along.

-O-

Vert started doing what she had originally intended to do in the first place: food shopping. She wanted to get her mind off of Blanc officially losing her mind one way or another, so she started looking for potential dinner. A curious Verna walked behind her, inspecting the various types of foods (and occasionally throwing a bag of Dorito's in there. Girl's gotta have her chips.) and coming across brands of soda.

"Doc Tear Popper?" Verna tilted her head at the drinks stacked behind each other.

A certain mad magician zoomed by, grabbed as many cans as her hands could carry, and zoomed away with her precious sodas.

Verna had only seen a blue blur.

"Alright then..." Since that was gone, Verna looked around for anymore potential drinks. Pepsi? No. Coca Cola? Wasn't that the same thing as the last one? Sprite? Nope. Fanta? Definitely not.

Then Verna saw green.

It wasn't green like her outfit, and it wasn't as green as Green Hearts hair, but it was the perfect balance of light and dark. The soda had big bold letters on the side, like it wanted to make its presence known.

"Mountain Dew?" Curious, Verna reached in the freezer and pulled out a can. She opened it, fizzing a little as she did so, and took a sip.

Aaaaaaaand she was immediately hooked.

Vert went wide eyed as she saw the various cans of soda in Verna's arms. She dropped all of the cans in the shopping cart, a big smile on her face.

"V-Verna, this is a dozen pack!" Vert said in shock.

"I know."

After that, Vert had spotted a little shop that she had always wanted to go in, but she never had the time for.

"Butler Café~" Vert had a glint in her eyes. Verna looked confused.

"What's that?"

"Oh, you will see dear~" Vert transformed and floated dreamily into the shop, with Verna walking behind her. Inside they saw handsome, well dressed men in different shapes and sizes (and most definitely appeal.) Green Hearts smile stretched when they saw a freaking Goddess come in.

"L-Lady Green Heart! W-What brings you here?" The head waiter, who had silver hair and gold eyes, asked nervously.

"My, I just want to experience this lovely café to the fullest. You wouldn't deny your Goddess such pleasures, would you?" Vert asked mischievously.

"O-Of course not!" As expected, Vert was treated like...well a Goddess. Her unsure little sister stayed by her side.

"Hey, who's this little one?" One Butler asked politely. Verna shifted away nervously.

"This is my darling little sister, Verna." Green Heart patted her head in a comfortable manner. "Don't be afraid little one, they won't hurt you."

The young girl gained a bit of courage and approached the 20-something men.

"Would you like some snacks? We have cookies." A black haired man asked.

"S-Sure..." She replied nervously. It should be noted that Verna wasn't good around strangers. Everyone she interacted with she knew, even if it was just in passing.

"Mmm~" It should also be noted that Green Heart was enjoying herself, maybe a little too much.

After THAT, the two sisters were ready to head home, but that proved to be a challenge when they ran into the Nep sisters again.

"Verty! How ya doin'?" Greeted Nep. Gear had something...peculiar in her hands. It looked like a gun, but at the same time it wasn't. If that even made sense.

"Nepgear, what is that in your hands?" Vert asked.

"Oh this? It's an exact replica of the blaster Hanz Double used in Space Wars! It's signed by the actor and everything!" Nepgear squealed like a fan girl. "And look, it shoots real lasers! Watch!" Nepgear pointed it at a nearby trashcan and shot it. What was left was the bottom half of the can, and a melted top.

"That's...pretty dangerous." Said Verna.

"I couldn't of said it any better myself." Agreed Vert.

"OH GODDAMMIT!" A furious voice rang inside the store behind the trashcan, which had a hole in the wall. What followed was a pissed of grey skinned girl with green hair and a mouse inspired hoodie. Isn't that...?

"WHO'S THE FUCKING DUMBASS THAT SHOT A HOLE THROUGH MY MAGAZINE?!" Yup, it was former ASIC member, Underling. With her mouth and attitude apparent as always. She held up a magazine that had a huge hole through it.

Verna pointed to Nepgear.

"V-Verna!"

"What? She asked."

Nepgear facepalmed.

"Oh, it's YOU! Of fucking course it's you!" Underling started to yell at Nepgear, while the Candidate tried to defend herself. Nep just snatched a bag of popcorn from a citizen and started eating.

At that moment, Vert felt something tug her glove. She looked down and saw Verna, crossing her legs and doing a little dance.

Uh oh.

"S-Sis...I need to go..." Said Verna.

"O-Oh, um...t-there's a bathroom right there dear." Vert pointed towards the doors behind the currently arguing Underling and Nepgear (and a Nep who was enjoying herself far too much.) Verna nodded and started dashing towards the bathroom, when she was halted by the yelling.

"Do you know how much that shit costs?! I'm practically broke as it is!"

"I-I said I was sorry! I didn't mean it, h-honest!"

Verna groaned. "Miss, what's your name?"

"She's Underling." Said Neptune.

"That's Underling." Said Nepgear.

"Her name is Underling." Said Vert.

"That's not my name damn it!" Yelled Underling, eye twitching in annoyance.

"Then why does everyone keep calling you that?" Asked a confused Verna.

"HALT!" At THAT moment, a SIXTH voice approached the five. All heads turned to see a so-flat-that-she-made-White-Heart-look-busty heroine named Nisa! "I heard the yelling whilst I was scouting for evildoers, and I had a heroic hunch that it was you!" Nisa pointed dramatically at Underling, who groaned.

"Great, just great. First the purple idiot burns my magazine, and now the damn Justice freak shows up! Fan-fucking-tastic!"

"Give up now Underling! You will never win against the forces of Justice!"

"MY! NAME! IS! NOT! FUCKING! UNDERLING!" Underling roared.

"Then why does everyone keep calling you that?!" Verna asked again, though she felt she was going to wet herself at any given moment.

"Why don't you shut the fuck up?!" Underling snapped.

"How about this: Name one, ONE person who doesn't call you Underling, and I'll shut up."

"..."

"PFFFFT!-  
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Neptune fell on the ground in a fit of uncontrollable laughter, both at Underling's total ownage and the sight of her face. The others had to stifle their laughter, and failed epically.

Underling just stood there, the look of death on her face. She was right, as much as she fucking hated to admit it, the brat was right. She couldn't recount one time, one SINGLE FUCKING TIME where someone called her by her real name. Not any of those broads, not the damn rat, not the CFW's...hell, even the damn story hasn't called her by her real name yet!

And Verna, despite having to pee VERY badly, had the most smug grin one could ever see on a child's face.

"Grr...STOP SMILING!" Underling snapped and lashed out. To everyone's shock, Underling landed a sickening blow to Verna's stomach. The child lurched over and gripped her tummy in pain.

"You..." In anger, Vert transformed and pointed her lance towards Underling. "HOW DARE YOU STRIKE MY SISTER?!"

"Oh shit..." Underling knew, in no uncertain terms, that she was gonna die. The Goddess looked ready to KILL.

"U-Ugh..." Verna was in pain from the blow, and was close to crying, as such she couldn't hold it in any longer. The five in front of her noticed yellow liquid stream down her legs and on the floor, and they realized what happened.

"Ha! The brat pissed herself!" Underling started to laugh, making Verna upset.

"S-Stop laughing a-at me...w-waaaaaaaah!" Verna, unable to hold in her emotions any longer, started crying. Green Heart froze.

Firstly, she was upset and angry that Underling had made her little sister cry and Secondly, she was afraid of what was going to happen now. Histoire had told her to keep Verna from crying, but now it was too late. Was she going to die? Was she going to explode? Was she going to burst into flames?

Green Heart didn't want to think about that. Right now, she was thinking about how much she was going to pummels Underling for laying her hands on her sister.

"Wow Underling, that was LOW. Even for you." Neptune criticized.

"Yeah, that wasn't cool..." Nepgear agreed.

"You have struck a child...HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT?!" Nisa asked bombasticly/furiously.

"Aw shaddup!" Underling was quite pissed at all the crap she was getting, but she kinda DID bring it on herself.

"Y-You're a *hic* m-meanie..." Said Verna between tears. Seeing her sister in such a state caused Green Heart's grip on her lance to tighten.

"H-Hey now, let's be reasonable..." Said Underling as she slowly backed away. Green Heart had fire in her eyes as she pointed her weapon at Underling.

"Hurting my sister...that's a death sentence for you..." Said Green Heart with malice. Underling gulped.

Let's just say what Green Heart did to Underling was something that would make Iris Heart blush.


	12. Chapter 12

"Oh...so that's what happened huh?"

To say the rest of the day had gone by smoothly would have been a lie. As it turns out, nearly killing someone in public wasn't such a good idea after all. Especially when it was a CPU that nearly killed that person to begin with.

Now, it wouldn't be so bad if Vert had a legitimate reason to do it. Underling didn't exactly have the cleanest track record, and while punching a 5 year old girl in the stomach out of annoyance wasn't the best course of action, it certainly wasn't deserving of FIFTY CONSECUTIVE BLOWS TO UNDERLING'S TORSO AND HEAD WITH HER LANCE. Followed by Green Heart dragging her to Goddess knows where and doing...rather UNPLEASANT things to her.

Needless to say, word got out pretty quick.

Yes the normally calm and collected CPU's reputation had taken a hard blow. As such her Shares started decreasing. This brought us to Vert talking with Chika about the matter.

"Yes, there were witnesses...unfortunately..." Vert felt like giving herself a good smack on the head, but doing that wouldn't help any. She screwed up, BIG time.

Chika, who had heard about what happened via Chirper, could only sigh. Normally she would side with Vert whenever an issue like this presented itself, but...

"My dearest, in all fairness you did...overreact..." She just couldn't do that this time. She wasn't very fond of Verna sure, and what Underling was deserving of SOME punishment, but Vert had went too far.

Vert groaned. "How is Underling's condition?"

"She has a cracked skull, multiple cuts and bruises on her body, and a broken leg." Chika informed. Vert bit her lip.

"Would it help if I apologized?"

"Maybe, things are looking pretty grim darling. I would do whatever I can."

Vert nodded. "And what about Verna?"

"About that..." Chika suddenly found the wall on her right very interesting. Vert raised an eyebrow. "Lady Blanc sorta...took her."

"..." Vert's eye twitched, just about to lose it but reeled back at the last second. She didn't want to lash out a second time, especially not at Chika of all people. "Would you care to tell me why?"

Chika resisted the urge to sigh in relief, and faced her beloved again. "It had something to do with her sisters and 'poison.' She didn't really specify, since she was here for a good ten seconds."

"Oh." Vert immediately understood the reason for Blanc's visit, and slumped in her seat. Her Shares were dropping and she was down an adorable and certainly huggable little sister for the time being.

She may as well go apologize to Underling, if that would help any. That was what Verna was most likely doing with the twins anyway.

-O-

"Man, being sick SUCKS..."

That was initially what Ram had been saying for the last few days. Ever since the sleepover, the twins of Lowee had been suffering from a bad case of upset stomachs. The first day was HORRIBLE, so bad that they didn't leave the toilets for a good couple of hours because they were puking so much in it. And while they didn't have the urge to vomit anymore, their tummies still hurt quite a lot. Ram had just finished complaining about it to no one but her sister (who was being an absolute soldier through it all) and had finally sighed dramatically and collapsed on her oversized bed she shared with Rom. They were in their room, dressed in nightwear and keeping emergency buckets in case they needed to puke again. Mina had gone out of her way to make the two as comfortable as possible through their ordeal, which helped a LITTLE, but it did nothing to help their stomachs.

"I-It's not so bad sis..." Rom tried to look at the best in their situation. They got to play video games and watch T.V. all day, Mina was taking really good care of them, she was spending a lot more time with Ram, and Blanc was even spending more time with THEM! That was an ultra plus in Rom's book!

"It's all that blonde dummy's fault!" Ram whined. "If she didn't make us eat that dumb bag of spoiled Doritos, we wouldn't be sick!"

"B-But didn't WE eat them...voluntarily...?" Rom pointed out.

"Not the point! Oww..." Ram felt a pang of pain in her stomach again, and rubbed it gently. "D-Dummy Verna..."

Rom sighed. Since she clearly wasn't going to change her sisters mindset, she instead focused on the cartoon on the screen in front of them.

"Oh girls, you have a visitor..." The voice of their older sister suddenly intruded the twins room. Their heads turned to find Blanc and...Verna. Who of which had a bit of a disheartened expression on her face. She also had a bag in her hands. Ram rolled her eyes in annoyance, but Rom was happy to see Verna again. Even though she kinda poisoned them, she didn't MEAN it. Verna seemed like a nice girl, albeit a bit naive (one of the reasons why they were sick to begin with) but that was part of her charm.

"Go on, I'll be working if you need me..." Blanc pushed the tiny blonde in, and closed the door. The three were now alone.

"Hm, what are YOU doing here?" Rom asked indignantly. Verna winced.

"W-Well, I wanted to say sorry...f-for making you guys sick..." Verna approached the big bed rather shyly. She acted like they were going to smite her if she so much as blinked at them wrong. Ram huffed and looked away from her, Rom offered her a soft smile.

"I-It's ok...what's in the bag?" The more innocent twin asked curiously. Ram raised an eyebrow and looked at the bag.

"What, are you gonna try and poison us again?" Ram immediately accused. Verna's eyes widened.

"W-Wha-? No! U-Uh..." Verna reached into the bag and pulled out two bottles. They looked like soda, but- "I-I bought you some Ginger Ale...I heard it was good for your tummies..."

Rom was willing to try anything to make her stomach ache go away, but Ram was still wary as they took the bottles. The drinks LOOKED normal enough, but so did those Doritos...

"They taste just like soda..." Said Verna.

Rom was the first to take a sip, with a hesitant Ram watching her for any signs of poisoning or sickness or whatever, she was READY to wring Verna's neck if she did anything bad to Rom. She was READY to-

"It tastes good..." Sit there wide eyed as Rom finished drinking. No poisoning, no vomiting, no sickness. She looked fine, well fine being miserable, but she didn't look MORE miserable at least. "It's really good, and my tummy is feeling better. Try it sis..."

Both Rom and Verna looked at Ram expectantly. Lowee's youngest looked at the can, then at the puppy dog eyed duo in front of her. She sighed.

'Here goes nothing...' Ram thought to herself as she took a sip. After a few seconds...

"Huh, well...I-It doesn't taste TERRIBLE..." Ram muttered. She didn't know what to expect when she drank the "soda", but she wasn't expecting her tummy to actually feel a little better. It was like some...magical make-you-feel-better potion! That's the conclusion she jumped to anyway. "T-Thanks...I guess..."

Verna smiled when she saw Ram's blushing face. Rom patted on the empty spot left of her.

"C'mon, why don't you sit with us? There's more than enough room..." Rom's adorable invitation was something Verna could not refuse. She climbed on the bed and sat herself right between the twins. Unlike her rambunctious sister, Rom was willing to forgive and forget. Ram puffed her cheeks in annoyance and looked away from Verna. Rom rolled her eyes.

"Nice bed...super comfy..." Verna bounced on the mattress a few times. It was like being on a cloud, or a big fluffy towel that just came out of the dryer.

"Hey, only me an' Rom get to jump on the bed!" Ram tackled the blonde down once again, pinning her down on the mattress. "You have no right..."

"Ok pushy..." Said Verna sarcastically. The older girl let the blonde go, an exasperated expression on her face.

"I-I'm not pushy! I just don't want you messin' up the bed!" Ram was quick to make up excuses.

"Riiiight..." Said Verna dismissively. Ram's eye twitched.

"C'mon, don't fight..." Rom pleaded.

"It's not my fault, your sisters being mean!"

"I-I AM NOT!" Ram cried. "Oww..."

Ram held her stomach, her face scrunching up in pain as she laid down. "Dumb tummy ache..."

"Y-You shouldn't get so worked up when you're sick sis..." Said Rom with worry.

"Really sorry...here..." To show her apologies, Verna lifted Ram's nightdress halfway and rubbed her stomach. The brunette jolted from the contact.

"W-W-What are you doing!?" Ram asked in shock.

"I wanna make you feel better..." Verna replied, oblivious to the embarrassment she was causing Ram right now.

"Aww, that's so nice..." Said Rom smiling. The blushing Ram just mumbled and accepted the abuse that was Verna's belly rub. Truly a cruel fate.

"Again, I-I'm really sorry..."

"Stop saying sorry dummy, we already forgave you!" Said a bashful Ram.

"R-Right, sorr-uh..." Verna trailed off, her cheeks tinted red as Ram sighed. Rom wrapped her arm around Verna.

"It's ok Verna, we know you didn't mean it..." Rom gave the younger girl a reassuring smile. "You're cool...to me anyway." Rom glanced at Ram, who pouted at her in response, but didn't look at Verna. "Ram can be a little stubborn, but she's a good girl..."

"...hmph..."

Rom rolled her eyes. Again.

Verna, touched by Rom's affection, gave the adorable brunette a hug.

"You're so nice..." Said Verna wistfully. Rom blushed a bit.

"T-Thanks..."

Verna had ended up sleeping over that night. She had used Rom as her replacement hug pillow since she didn't bring hers, leaving Ram feeling bitter since SHE used Rom as a hug pillow. So for the rest of the night, Ram stirred in her sleep as she attempted to grasp at a body that wasn't there. Rom and Verna were perfectly fine though.

"D-Dummy Verna..." Ram mumbled in her sleep as she continued to stir.


	13. Chapter 13

When Rom opened her eyelids, the first thing she noticed was that she felt, well, WARM. And it wasn't the type of warm that would give this story an M-Rating (and make the author look like a pedo) NOPE, it was on her back. Rom tried to turn and see what was causing the heat, but found herself being latched on by a pair of tiny hands. A little surprised, Rom had to readjust herself (having some trouble while doing so) so she could face the offender behind her.

"Oh..." Rom was met with the sleeping face of Verna, who was still hugging her with a, surprisingly, loving expression on her face. Maybe she really liked hugs? That's what Rom thought as she tried to break free without waking the tiny blonde, but it proved to be a challenge, as Verna had quite the grip.

"C-Carefully..." Rom whispered to herself as she attempted to get out of Verna's bear hug. Key word being "attempted" here. But after a good five minutes, Rom finally broke free of Verna's hold. The blonde immediately noticed that loss of contact and started to stir in her sleep. After a few moments of hopelessly scrambling around the bed for something to hug, the sleeping Verna found Ram's body and latched onto her in an instant.

"Mm?" The sleeping form of Ram was caught by surprise from the contact, but her subconscious assumed that it was Rom and quickly let it slide. "Mm..."

Rom smiled at the two, and groggily got up and headed for the kitchen.

-O-

It was most certainly a trying time for Leanbox's CPU. It turns out that apology did little to nothing to help Vert's situation. Her shares had been decreasing bit by bit, and it understandably made her worried.

"Dearest..." Chika was worried as well, but for a different reason. "You've been working endlessly since last night. Don't you think a break would be necessary?"

Ever since the failed apology, Vert had been doing anything she could to raise her Shares. This ranged from paperwork she pushed back, to quests at the Guild. And while things didn't look grim as of yet, Vert was better safe than sorry. Unfortunately, this lead her to be massively exhausted, even though she didn't look it. In fact, one wouldn't be able to guess that she has been up for the whole day, since she looked as divine as ever.

"Chika, as much as I appreciate the concern, do you really doubt my ability to stay up late? I have once gone a whole week without sleeping! That was an intense session..." Vert suddenly had war-like flash backs to the dreaded sleepless week of being on nothing but her computer. Her guild was low on supplies, energy less than half, enemies on the horizon. They needed her more than ever, and the Goddess had singlehandedly saved her guild and defeated the enemy. Unfortunately, since her room was not in the most comfortable conditions (and she straight up refused to move from her chair) it lead to her overheating and crashed horribly as a result. It was not pretty.

"I'm aware of that, but it doesn't mean you can do it regularly!" Said Chika in a worried tone. "Sleep is an important necessity, and I can't stand to see you put it off for work!" Chika was just as aware of Vert's overheating as Vert herself was. Even though she could stay awake for as long as she wanted, it just wasn't good for her health in general. Chika would almost have a panic attack every time Vert overheated/collapsed from exhaustion.

"Chika..." Vert placed her hands on the Oracles shoulders, making her stop immediately. "I appreciate your concern, I really do, but don't worry about me. I can handle this."

"B-But..."

"I know things don't look dire now, but you can never be too careful. One day everything may seem well, but the next day, our Share's are plummeting, Leanbox will be on its last limbs, a-and Verna may be in a coma!"

"D-Dearest don't say things like that!" Now it was Chika's turn to grab Vert by her shoulders and shake her out of her potential panicking. She didn't like Verna, but she couldn't let Vert imagine something as horrible as THAT! Especially when she saw tears starting to form."T-That will never happen, d-don't go and think such awful things! C-Come on, dry those tears..."

Chika couldn't stand to see her beloved Vert on the verge of tears, such an action would make the Oracle cry as well, so she wiped them away with her thumb.

"T-Thank you Chika, perhaps I did...o-over react..." Vert wiped the threatening tears away with her glove.

"I'm not saying working hard is a bad thing, but you must remember to take it easy every now and then. I have no choice but to worry if you forget that."

Vert gave Chika a soft smile, touched by how caring she was being right now. "I'll remember that."

"P-Please do..." Smiling, Chika turned and left before she would start crying herself. This left Vert alone, staring at the pile of papers on her desk. She frowned. She was really tired, and her decline in Shares was making it hard to do things she could do normally. Sleep sounded so good right now...

"Maybe I should take a break..."

Before she could go on that thought process any further, Vert felt her phone vibrate in her pocket.

"Hm?" Curious, Vert took out her phone to see who was calling her, and raised an eyebrow at the ID. "Blanc?"

It was quite rare for the Lowee CPU to call her, unless it was something business related. But what sort of idea did Blanc want to propose? A colab perhaps? She answered the phone and put it to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Get your ass over here. Now."

Vert's eyes widened when she was greeted with the cold and furious voice of White Heart. Seriously, from her tone alone, it sounded like her sisters were murdered. O-Oh dear it better not be that!

"Blanc? W-What's going-"

"I said...NOW." It was quite clear Blanc was pissed, but she was trying her best not to lose it entirely. Vert was confused, but she didn't want to anger Blanc further.

"I'll be right there."

-O-

"O-Oh my..."

Vert didn't expect much when she entered Blanc's Basilicom. The Goddess had a tendency to blow things out of proportion, especially when she was too angry to think clearly.

This was especially evident by Blanc herself standing in front of her, an exasperated look on her face. Her eyes were filled with pure unadulterated fury, and she was clenching her fists so tight that her knuckles had turned white. She looked like she was going to explode. She was also scratched and dirtied, for some odd reason.

The scene behind the Goddess was, well it was most certainly a SCENE.

The Basilicom (if it could even be called that anymore) had been wrecked. It looked like a Tornado had hit the place, and had gone out of its way to leave no stone unturned. There were gaping holes in the walls, furniture was flipped and unturned, bookshelves were toppled over, the books themselves were either ripped or destroyed. The biggest thing was that HALF THE ROOF WAS GONE. Bits and pieces of the building fell every now and then, and Vert was worried it was going to collapse. At the receiving end of this carnage, Rom and Ram looked a bit dirtied up. Ram looked just as pissed as her older sister, while Rom looked like she didn't know what to say or do in this situation.

"Blanc, what did you-" Vert was ready to accuse Blanc and her infamous temper, but she raised a frustrated hand to stop her.

"Shut. UP." Blanc's tone was laced with fury. It was quite clear that she was spent, so pushing her any further would be a death wish.

"N-Now now, let's just relax a little..." A slightly worried Vert gave Blanc's tense shoulders a gentle rub. Blanc exhaled loudly, calming down just a little bit. She may have been small, but this girl was FIERCE when pissed. "Who's responsible for this?"

"Why don't ask your DAMN sister?" Blanc pointed dramatically at the girl at fault. The little blonde in question looked very upset, on the verge of tears it seems. Speaking of...

'I'll have to speak with Histoire about that later. She cried but nothing happened. She didn't lie did she?' Vert thought to herself. Why would Histoire lie to her though? What sort of advantage would the Oracle gain by doing something like that? She likely had a reason for it though. Histoire wasn't the type of person(?) who would blatantly lie on a daily basis.

"Verna..." Vert was shocked by this revelation. Verna, her little sister, caused this havoc? No, t-that's not true...that's impossible! (Wait, wrong franchise...)

The little girl just looked away. It was quite clear that she had started crying. That served to worry Vert even more.

"Yeah, you shoulda seen her! We were just playing some Maria Party, and then she got really angry because she sucks at it!" Ram proclaimed. "She tore up the place like there was no tomorrow! She even hit Blanc a few times!"

"Basically, she had a fucking tantrum..." Said Blanc. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "It's bad enough she poisoned the twins, but now she goes and wrecks my Basilicom."

"W-Well, at least everyone is all right." Vert tried to look at the best in this situation, because A) She didn't want Blanc to lose it and kill her sister. And B) She REALLY didn't want to deal with this right now, especially with her Share situation and she was just too damn tired. "Wait, where's Mina?"

"P-Present..." A shaky hand raised itself from one of the toppled bookshelves. It looks like she got the worst of it.

"Verna..." At the sound of Blanc's voice, the Candidate scurried over in a flash. "Leave. NOW."

The teary eyed little blonde was left shaken at the CPU's cold words, but complied. Vert motioned for her to come, and the two Leanbox sisters left. Blanc let out a frustrated sigh. At least it couldn't get any worse than this, right?

"Hey sis look! This bookshelf survived!"

CRASH!

"W-Whoops..."

Blanc's eye twitched.


	14. Chapter 14

It would be a lie to say that Verna was happy. After the incident, she was anything BUT. Not only did she destroy half of Lowee's Basilicom in a fit of rage, but she also possibly destroyed her relationship with Rom and Ram by doing so. I-It wasn't that she MEANT to wreck their place, but Ram was being so unfair! She barely had a chance with her always taking her coins and stars! At least Rom TRIED to help her out, but Ram was ruthless.

So maybe her anger was justified?

Well, whatever the reason, Verna definitely wasn't allowed to see Rom and Ram for a good while, if ever again. Blanc was furious with her, that's for sure. This understandably made the little blonde upset. She had barely known those two for a week, and now there was the possibility of never seeing them again.

Verna, currently seated on a couch and watching cartoons, gripped a nearby pillow. She really liked the twins, particularly Rom (b-but she liked Ram a whole lot too! R-Rom was just too sweet!), so being faced with their absence proved to be a difficult challenge for Verna. Sure she still had Nepgear and Uni, but they treated her like a kid! Nepgear was really nice, but even she seemed to think she was a baby! She was 5 ( although technically she was only a few weeks old, but who cares about semantics? Clearly not this proofreader) and proud darn it!

Anyways, Rom and Ram were closer to her actual age (she heard they were 10, while Nepgear and Uni were said to be 15 and 14 respectively) and while they tended to treat her like a little girl at that sleep over, in the end they didn't have much room to talk. (They still needed Mina to bathe them sometimes.) Still, in the really short time that she had known them, Verna considered them good friends. It was shame really, since Ram and Rom probably hated her now. She said "sorry" to them as well (especially Mina, who ended up with a broken arm because of her), but it seemed pretty fruitless.

At least she still had her sister and Miss Chika to keep her company. Speaking of which...

"I wonder what sis is doing right now..." Verna hadn't seen hide nor hair of her older sister all day. Chika told her that she was feeling rather tired, so maybe she was sleeping?

"Aww, but I wanna do stuff with her..." Pouting, Verna lifted herself from the couch and journeyed forth to Vert's room. On the way she found the door to Chika's room, just barely open. Being the ever curious little girl she was, Verna peeked inside. What could Miss Chika be doing right...now...!?

Verna immediately (and gently) slammed the door, a massive blush covering her face and clearly having witnessed something she definitely should NOT have seen. Where were Miss Chika's hands going? A-And w-what was playing o-on that screen!? The weirdest part was that it sounded like her sisters voice! B-But wasn't she asleep?

"G-Gah! R-Run away Verna, Run away...!" And run away she did, the action of checking on her sister was the last thing on her mind right now. Maybe after she was done bleaching her brain...

-O-

"Heeeeey Blanny, you weren't planning on finishing that pudding were ya?"

"Dammit Neptune I just opened it!"

The last day had not been a terribly good one for the Lowee CPU. Her Basilicom was literally falling apart, forcing her, her sisters and her Oracle to relocate until repairs would be made. Since Blanc was still very furious at Vert, and she couldn't stand to be in the same room as Noire for more than 10 minutes, so that left one last UNFORTUNATE option for her...

"Aww, but you look so uninterested with it, as a CPU, I REFUSE to let pudding go to waste!"

"H-Hey, get OFF of me!"

Yup, Blanc was staying at Neptune's Basilicom for the time being, and it already started off disastrous. Neptune was currently wrestling Blanc for that pudding cup, a BAD move on the purple ditz's part, since Blanc was getting ready to blow at any moment. Well, it was good for Nepgear at least, who was elated to see the twins.

"Rom, Ram, would you like to play a game with me?"

"Hook me up! I'd MUCH rather play with you then that blonde dummy..." Speaking Verna's name was pretty much forbidden when Blanc or Ram was around. They were the two who were the angriest with her.

"N-Now Ram, you shouldn't say such rash things to someone who's only 5..." Mina and Rom however, weren't so quick to judge. Even though Mina was restricted to an arm cast for the next week or so, she couldn't find herself to outright hate Verna (And while this may look compassionate on Mina's part, in reality she just had a really big soft spot for children.)

"She was like a twister! She wrecked everything! She even broke your arm!" Ram exclaimed, with some worry seeping into her tone on the last statement. "She had the power to kill you until you died from it!"

"R-Ram that doesn't make any-"

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!"

"R-Ram, to be fair...you did kinda push her..." Rom spoke from behind her twin.

"It ain't my fault she sucks at Maria Party!"

"B-But...you were brutal..."

"Lalalalalalala-!" Great, she was ignoring her. Rom rolled her eyes, though that term has already been used enough in this story. Fun fact: Maria Party's unofficial slogan among fans is "Maria Party: Ruining Friendships Since 1999"

"Come on Blanny, Pleeeeeeeease!?" And it looks like Nep wasn't giving up on that pudding. She's persistent, I'll give her that.

"No. Means. NO!" Unfortunately, that little begging comment caused Blanc to finally snap. She lashed out on Neptune and started choking her.

"GOODNESS!" Said Gear (who was still completely relevant, I assure you.)

"And why are you so buddy buddy with her anyway? She's the enemy!" Said Ram, feeling betrayed that her own sister would side with that...that DUMMY! She also seemed to not notice the epic brawl between White Heart and Purple Heart happening to her left. Or she was just ignoring them.

"I...uh..." While Rom didn't want to outright say it, she was obviously the most compassionate out of the twin brunettes. Ram was well...stingy, for lack of a better word. She was so quick to judge people sometimes (like when they first meet Nepgear, though she pretty much did whatever Ram wanted back then), and as a result, she made more enemies than friends. Just ask the kids at the park, there is some INTENSE rivalry going on between them and Ram. A rivalry that Rom didn't want to get involved with.

"You what?" Asked Ram in a demanding tone.

"R-Ram..." Rom was forced to swallow her intense nervousness and stared her rambunctious sister in the eye. "Y-You're being k-kinda...mean to Verna..."

"WHAT!?" Asked Ram in a shrill voice. "How am I the mean one!? Lookit what she did to our home!"

"Y-You're the one who pushed her..." Said Rom, growing a bit frustrated with her sister's attitude.

"Nuh-uh!" Ram immediately denied. "She's just a big sore loser! A loser we're never gonna see again! So stop taking her side!"

Right when Ram said "never gonna see again" Rom froze.

"N-Never...?" Rom asked in a trembling tone, trying to hide her sadness and failing miserably.

Ram nodded. "Yup! Sis said so, and I don't blame her!" Ram was incredibly dismissive over the fact that they were never going to see Verna again. Rom did not find herself agreeing with her sister.

"W-Wha..." Rom pulled her hat down over her eyes to hide her reaction, but Ram was quick to pick up on it.

"H-Hey, what're you crying about!?" Asked a shocked Ram when she saw tears spilling down her sisters cheek.

"V-Verna...W-Waaaaah!" Rom ran to the other room, with Ram running behind her.

"H-Hey, where are you going! C-Come on don't run!" Said Ram, getting quite upset herself.

As for the CPU's, they continued to play together (and by "play" the author obviously means that it had turned into a 1 on 1 brawl with the purple CPU duking it out with the white CPU), all for the sake of the pudding.


	15. Chapter 15

Rom was upset, no doubt about it. She spent the last few minutes crying in a pillow with Ram trying to comfort her as best as she could.

"C-Come on Rom, cheer up will ya? Not seeing that dummy again isn't SO bad..." Of course, Ram's terms of comfort were quite different from Rom's terms, and with everytime her sister brought Verna up, it just upset Rom further. She gave her twin credit for trying at least.

"W-W-We'll never s-see Verna again..." Said a voice breaking Rom. "I-I wanna see her..."

Ram sighed in annoyance whilst simultaneously rubbing her sisters back. As much as she loved Rom, the whole Verna subject was starting to get on her nerves. That dummy was just a big old sore loser, but Rom was STILL taking her side! What sort of madness was this?!

Still, she had to be there for her sister. Even if she WAS siding with the enemy, Ram couldn't stand to see Rom cry.

"P-Please stop crying..." This was clearly evident by the fact that Ram was close to tears herself.

Sensing her sisters upsetness (yes that's a word, don't question the author) Rom lifted herself up to face Ram, wiping the tears from her eyes as she offered her a small smile. She didn't want Ram to start crying now.

"T-There you go..." A totally not tearing up Ram said happily. Rom was still feeling quite miserable on the inside, but she needed to buck up for her sister. "L-Look, sis promised to take us out for ice cream. Wanna come?"

"O-Ok..." Rom agreed. She rather liked ice cream, so maybe a few scoops would make her feel better.

-O-

"Histoire, I must know: Verna had cried, but nothing happened. Would you please care to explain?"

Vert had found herself in her room talking with Histoire via video call. She would have gone to Planeptune herself, but she was feeling far more tired than usual. She was having trouble staying awake as it is. At least she knew how Plutia felt, though that girl lived for her naps.

 _"I was actually looking into that, especially after the incident in Lowee."_ Said Histoire. _"And it appears, embarrassingly, that I have made a mistake."_

"Oh?" Vert quriked an eyebrow in surprise. "C-Can that even happen?"

 _"Apparently so..."_ Histoire had a bit of a blush on her cheeks before continuing. _"A-Anyway, I'm afraid I miscalculated when I was watching over Verna. As you have seen, instead of sadness, it is anger that...um "sets her off" as you will."_

"I see..." Vert had no idea that someone(?) like Histoire could miscalculate in the first place, but she was glad to receive the new information. "Thank you Histoire, I'll make sure to look out."

Histoire nodded. _"Are you feeling alright Vert?"_ Histoire noticed the bags in her eyes and grew concerned. _"You look tired."_

Vert sighed. "I've been experiencing a problem with Shares recently. It seems no matter what I do they keep decreasing. It's taken a toll on me as you can see." Vert rested her head on her hand, and was zoning out as she spoke with the Oracle.

 _"Don't overwork yourself now."_ Said a worried Histoire.

"I already received that lecture from Chika." Vert let out a mighty yawn. "I-I'll call you later, I need to r-rest."

 _"As you wish."_ With that, Histoire's image disappeared. Vert collapsed on her bed. She was graced with the softness of the matress, and wrapped herself in comfortable blankets and pillows as she slipped into the world of dreams...

"Hey sis!" Or she would have, had her little sister not barged into her room and jumped on her bed. Normally, this would be a happy occasion for the busty Goddess, but right now she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open. "Watcha doin'?"

"S-Sleeping..." Was Vert's ever so energetic response. Seriously, she could rival Plutia in a sleep off. ("Doubt iiiiiit~ -Plutia, from WAY OFF in the Ultradimension.)

The Candidate gave her sister a pout, disdain clear on her features. "Aww, but I wanted to play with you!" Verna plopped down on Vert's side, the former looking miserable while the latter was barely keeping herself awake. "I'm bored..."

The exhausted Goddess couldn't help but feel sympathetic for her little sister. In any other situation, she would have most certainly taken Verna's offer to spend quality time with her, but the Share situation was having a far more drastic effect on her than she first thought.

Speaking of which...

D-Did Verna look a little pale? It was hard to notice at first glance, but when Vert got a good look at her younger sister, she noticed that she looked a bit pale. Verna was still acting like her normal self though, and she showed no signs of illness.

Perhaps it was just her imagination. Her tiredness must have been taking its toll on her sight now. "Verna, as much as I would love to play with you, I'm simply too tired right now dear. Perhaps another time."

The tiny blonde let her head droop in disappointment at this news. She was SO hoping that Vert would play with her! A cool new game had just came out, and since CPU's were apparently rich (thank Chika for telling her that. I can see the toys already...) she went out and bought it for the two of them! W-With Miss Chika accompanying her of course! Goddess knows what would happen if little Verna went out alone.

Verna's lips quivered when she realized that she was going to be playing by herself.

Noticing this, Vert started to panic. "Oh dear, d-don't cry Verna! Er..." Using whatever energy she had left, the Goddess lifted herself up and comforted her sister via embrace. "J-Just allow me to rest for a few hours, then I promise I-I'll play with you. Deal?"

Verna thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "D-Deal..."

"Thank you..." With that, Vert crashed onto her bed and fell asleep in a nanosecond. Verna couldn't help but giggle at how her usual elegant older sister had fallen asleep so ungracefully. Her happiness had quickly turned back into sadness when she realized that she still had no one to play with. The tiny Candidate sighed miserably.

"Maybe I can get Miss Chika to play with me..." Verna didn't even know if Leanbox's Oracle even played video games, but she really wanted someone to play with. Playing games by yourself just wasn't the same as playing with friends after all. If Miss Chika was busy, then she'd have to resort to the teasing from Uni and Nepgear (mostly Uni) for the whole day. It certainly bummed her out when she realized that Rom and Ram weren't even an option now, if ever again. They probably hated her for what she did, and she wouldn't blame them. Verna had done a bad, a VERY bad...er, bad. So bad that she turned into a one-girl demolition team and wrecked their Basilicom. Her fits of rage could rival that of White Heart's in their intensity.

Now if only Verna knew about Rom's true feelings of the situation, she wouldn't be as depressed as she was now, but sadly the little Candidate wasn't aware of this, so she had come to the conclusion that they hated her now.

Verna didn't realize that she had started crying, but even if she did, she wouldn't have cared.

 **A/N: I RETURNED! And with a new chapter! Woo!**

 **With my WiFi back on, my hiatus is now over. I've been dying to getting back to writing for almost two months, and with all the new stuff I have planned for Green Sister, I'm happy it's finally happening.**

 **HUGE THANKS to my friend GN Over-Kite for helping out during my break. You are an amazing person XD**


	16. Chapter 16

Rom rarely broke the rules. When it came down to it, the only times she had ever gotten in trouble was when she was with her sister Ram during one of her usual shenanigans. On her own, she was quiet and well behaved. Rom was pretty much what Blanc WISHED how Ram would act, but beggers can't be choosers.

Now however, when she was told of the possibility of never seeing Verna again, well little Rom just wasn't going to stand for that!

It was well into the night, with Rom and Ram sleeping on Nepgear's bed, while Nepgear herself slept on the floor (since they pretty much kicked her off.) Ram and Nepgear were the only ones sleeping though, as a very nervous Rom slowly and carefully opened the convenient window to the left of the bed.

Rom knew she was making a very risky move. She wasn't going out the front, since that was suicide. Going out there meant risking getting caught by Blanc, and Rom didn't even want to THINK about what Blanc would do if she caught her sneaking out. It would probably involve her axe...

Rom shivered, and not from the cold the outside provided.

The Lowee Candidate slowly, carefully made her way out the window. The last thing she wanted to do was wake her rambunctious sister. Honestly, she didn't worry about Nepgear that much. The most she would most likely get from her is a scolding, and it would be more adorable than intimidating.

When Rom safely made her way outside, trying her best to ignore the bitter cold, she transformed and closed the window with extreme care, her escape nearly complete...

CRREEEEEAK

Rom almost had a freaking heart attack when the window decided to loudly creak as she closed it. She waited what felt like hours for someone to wake up and catch her in the act. After a solid 10 minutes of tense waiting, Rom let out a heavy sigh of relief when no one woke up. Escape success!

Rom knew this was dangerously gutsy on her part, but she missed Verna. She wanted to see the tiny blonde again, and a part of her felt like that Verna wanted to see her too.

"H-Here I c-come Verna...!" The shivering Candidate whispered in determination, and flew off towards Leanbox.

-O-

The frozen and teeth chattering form known as Rom floated around Leanbox's Basilicom, desperately trying to find Verna's room before she froze to death.

"N-No...No...W-What is M-Miss C-Chika d-doing with t-that b-body p-pillow...!? E-Eep!" Rom covered her eyes from the lewd scene in an attempt to preserve her innocence, and continued her search.

"N-No...N-No...A-AH-HA!" When Rom saw the sleeping form of a little girl, she knew she had found her destination. Quickly, but carefully, opening the window to escape from the cold, Rom floated in and shut the window behind her. She was greeted with a blast of heat, something Rom was immediately grateful for. Deactivating her HDD, Rom toom a moment to soak in the warmth for her cold body, then looked around the dark room.

While she couldn't see quite that well, Rom could make out posters of what looked like girls either kissing, hugging, or engaging in romantic activities. Ok then. On the floor was a very comfortable carpet that Rom could sleep on if she wanted to. Also on the floor were stuffed animals, ranging from small to holy-crap-that-is-ridiculously-huge. Rom could also make out something nearly as big as the life size Ancient Dragon stuffed animal (how did that even fit in the door!?), which was probably the biggest flat screen Rom had ever seen in her life. Accompanying that big T.V was a variety of Leanbox consoles and too many games for Rom to count. She could also see a laptop by a Leanbox One, which was selling somewhat poorly compared to the Lastation 4, Lowee U and Nepcast, but was very popular in its own nation. She even had a mini fridge! Lucky!

Finally, Rom spotted the biggest, fluffiest, and bounciest bed in existence. On it was a sleeping Verna, hugging a Green Heart hug pillow. Rom smiled, all of this stuff for such a small girl...

Carefully, Rom climbed on the huge (and definitely bouncy!) bed, and lightly shook Verna by the shoulder.

"Verna...Verna..."

"Mm..." Verna grumbled as she lazily opened her eyes. "Whoozere?"

Rom giggled. "It's me, Rom."

"R-Rom...?" Verna rubbed her eyes and let out a mighty yawn. When she opened her eyes, and looked at Rom, her sleepiness was instantly replaced with excitement! "ROM!"

"Sssh!" Whispered Rom as Verna caught her in a bear hug. "W-Whisper!"

"S-Sorry..." Said Verna meekly. Rom just smiled and hugged the younger girl back. "I-I missed you...I t-thought you hated me..."

"I don't hate you Verna, I actually missed you too." Rom said soothingly. "S-Sis and Ram...don't like you that much..."

Verna sighed in a miserable manner. "W-Well I did kinda...destroy your home..."

"That wasn't TOTALLY your fault..."

"I-I don't think that really matters to your big sis..."

Rom's head drooped. Verna giggled again. "Well...I'm on your side..."

"T-Thank you..." Verna hugged Rom again. "You're a great friend."

"So are you...certain life-threatening incidents aside..."

Verna chuckled, then grew bashful. "W-Wanna sleep in my bed?"

Rom nodded. "Yeah..."

Smiling, Verna snuggled close to her adorable friend. She was WAY better than any old hug pillow!

"G'night Rom..."

"Good night Verna..."

THE NEXT DAY...

The morning started off fine.

"VERNA, YOU GIMME BACK ROM RIGHT NOW!"

And if"fine" meant that "Ram had come smashing through Verna's window and demanded her sister be returned to her" then yes, everything was perfectly fine.

Rom was currently trying to clear up this little fiasco, while Verna hid behind her whilst simultaneously eating a bag of Doritos.

"R-Ram wait, it's not what you-" Rom tried to explain, but her sister cut her off.

"HUSH ROM, I'M TRYING TO SAVE YOU FROM THIS DUMMY!"

"...Is that the only insult you have? Dummy?" Said Verna with a deadpan expression. Ram faltered a little.

"N-No, I have others, but sis won't let me say those-WAIT THIS ISN'T IMPORTANT!" A furious Ram pointed her staff at Verna. Menacingly! "Gimme Rom back, and I promise I won't kill you TOO painfully!"

Verna whimpered.

"Ram wait!" Thankfully her big cuddly bodyguard known as Rom stopped her sister from maiming Verna, much to her frustration. "V-Verna didn't kidnap me, I-I came here willingly!"

"...Say what?"

"What's with allll the shouting...?" A fourth voice suddenly entered the room, revealing itself to be Verna's big sister, Vert, who looked like she had just woken up.

"H-Hi sis..." Verna waved meekly.

"ROM AND RAM, WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU TWO THINKING!?" And then a FIFTH voice came screaming in. It was Blanc, now White Heart, zooming through the skies with her axe in hand.

"...You didn't tell sis you left?"

"I-I forgot..."

Verna was immediately caught in a hug by her now worried and transformed older sister, her lance at the ready in case things got too ugly. "Stay close Verna..."

CRASH!

Instead of going through the obviously open window, Lady White Heart decided to smash through the WALL. Truly an incredible decision only a CPU can make! ("DON'T GET SMART WITH ME DUMBASS!") Touchy.

"H-Hi sis..." Said Rom and Ram in unison.

"DON'T "Hi sis" ME! WHERE THE ABSOLUTE FUCK WHERE YOU TWO!?" White Heart roared!

"Language Blanc!" Said a worrying Green Heart as she covered Verna's ears.

"SHUT IT THUNDER TITS!" White Heart shouted angrily, then turned her attention back to the twins. "You little shits are in SO MUCH trouble..."

"B-But I didn't do anything bad sis!" Ram tried to defend herself. "I-I was looking for Rom! Verna stole her!"

White Heart blinked "...What."

"I-I can explain..." Verna shakily brought herself out of her sisters grip, despite Green Heart's pleas, and stepped forward. "R-Rom came here last night, a-and slept over."

All eyes turned to Rom, who blushed at the sudden attention. "I-I wanted to see Verna again. Y-You said we weren't gonna see her again..."

"Well yeah, she WRECKED my Basilicom!" White Heart exclaimed.

"W-What?" Verna looked surprised. "W-We won't see each other again!?"

Ram nodded in an enthusiastic manner, while Rom just hung her head solemnly.

"Blanc, don't you think that's a little...harsh?" Green Heart asked.

"SHE. WRECKED. MY. BASILICOM!" White Heart countered.

"...Fair point, but she's only so young. She surely didn't mean to cause you and your home harm. Besides, can you really stay mad at a face like this?"

White Heart looked down and saw Verna, using the dreaded "Puppy dog eyes" on the Lowee CPU.

"E-Er..." Before White Heart could respond to such a powerful weapon, Verna went a step further.

She hugged White Heart.

Green Heart's jaw was currently relaxing on the ground at the display. Rom and Ram giggled at her reaction.

"I-I'm sorry Miss Blanc..." Verna sniffled.

"U-Uh..." Whatever anger White Heart had was gone in that moment. She couldn't even remember WHY she was mad! All she knows now is that a cute little girl was giving her a hug! Not even the great and mighty Lady White Heart was immune to Verna's adorableness! "A-Alright! Y-You can see Rom and Ram again! J-Just...stop looking at me like that..."

"Yay!" Verna smiled victoriously and practically jumped into an equally excited Rom's arms. Ram rolled her eyes.

Green Heart just gave White Heart the most smug grin in existence. White Heart scowled.

"S-Shut up..."


	17. Chapter 17

Verna was ecstatic. Not only was she seeing Rom and Ram again. Not only was Blanc (kinda) taking a liking to her, **NOT ONLY** did she have a fully stocked fridge of Mountain Dew and Doritos, but now something miraculous was happening.

Starting at 6 pm sharp, was an all night Yuri anime-athon, exclusive to only in Leanbox.

As expected, Verna squeed with the power of all little girls when she heard this news. She had prepared a trip to the Leanbox mall in advance to prepare herself for such an occasion. Why was she going to the mall? Well, as it turns out that "fully stocked fridge of Mountain Dew and Doritos" she had wasn't so fully stocked after all. Translation: Verna had eaten and drank the whole supply within two days.

So now she had to get more! Much to the exasperation of her older sister Vert, who was the one currently accompanying little Verna on this trip.

"Mm~, so many chips, so many sodas, so little time~" Verna was outright drooling at the wide selection of snacks in front of her. Of course she was mainly focused on replenishing her Dorito/Mountain Dew stock, but there were so many other, _delicious_ options as well. "Chocolate~"

"I really wish you wouldn't eat so much junk, Verna..." Vert sighed heavily. If there was only one thing that Vert didn't particularly like about her younger sister, it was her eating habits. For a girl so small, she had an enormous appetite, and this had an unfortunate toll on Vert's wallet. She had to restock weekly, sometimes daily, on their Dorito and Mountain Dew supplies with Verna in the picture now. As such was the price with having a little sister who was 5 forever...

Vert sighed again, miserably this time.

"W-Why are you sighing so much sis? W-We don't have to buy this much if you don't want to..." Vert was snapped out of her thoughts by a dejected sounding Verna, carrying many red bags and green cans in her tiny arms. Uh oh, she was giving Vert those eyes. Verna knew darn well that she couldn't resist those eyes! Gah!

"E-Er...it's nothing dear. Just set those on the counter and I will pay for them." Vert groaned inwardly.

"O-Ok..."

Vert sighed. Yet again. She truly loved her little sister to death, and Vert only wanted the best for her, but...Verna's ways of eating could send Leanbox towards a hunger crisis. The CPU really needed to act on the situation, before that hunger crisis became a reality.

Sighing one last time, Vert prepared her poor wallet for yet another trip through spending hell. May the True Goddess have mercy on her.

-O-

"Yay, i got all these yummy snacks! You're the best sis!" A clearly happy Verna was carrying her bags of junk food, eating a bag of Doritos while doing so, and was practically hopping and skipping down the sidewalk. Vert just whimpered.

"M-My wallet...a-all of that junk...ohhh..." Vert let out a rather pitiful sound, grieving over the damage her Credits had suffered just to make Verna happy. Just **look** at that smile! Verna looked like she had unlocked the secret to true happiness, and she wasn't sharing that secret with her sister.

With Verna however, she hadn't even noticed how outright miserable Vert was right now. All her mind was focused on was the Yuri Anime-athon, which started in just one hour! Verna squeed again, barely containing her infectious glee. Some of the passerby on the street took a moment to register just how adorable Verna was, only to be accompanied by a death glare from Vert, who was far from a good mood. They quickly moved along.

"C'mon sis, we're almost home!" Said a happy Verna, still oblivious to her older sisters mood.

"I-I'm coming Verna..." Vert mumbled. To some, it would seem that Vert was making a big deal out of nothing. But those people didn't KNOW Verna like Vert did. She could send a Sayian to shame with how much junk she devoured. Vert couldn't recall a time where she replaced more Doritos or more Mountain Dew in her life before Verna came along. She never spent so much Credits in her life.

But, despite all of that, despite all the food Verna had eaten, and causing Vert to go temporarily broke...

Vert looked at her sister, smiling and singing merrily to herself as she was no doubt thinking about that Yuri Anime-athon. Knowing Verna, she would ask her big sister to join her. Maybe Chika as well, who had been warming up to Verna recently. The Leanbox family would be enjoying themselves, Verna would offer her snacks, and she would be cuddled up with her sister...

Vert smiled.

When it came to Verna, the good definitely outweighed the bad. She was just so fluffy, and sweet, and childishly innocent. It reminded Vert of...a marshmallow perhaps. Vert chuckled, Verna the marshmallow. That was certainly an apt description of her sister.

Vert supposed that she was being unfair, ungrateful even. After centuries of being alone, she finally had what she'd been begging for. And she was just about the most adorable bundle of innocence Vert had ever laid eyes on. Verna brightened up her and Chika's lives. She was the missing piece to their puzzle, the Yin to their Yang. Ok, Vert may have been sounding cheesy, but it was true! Who was she to complain about Verna's problems, when Vert herself suffered from similar issues herself? She should enjoy Verna, not criticize her for every mistake she made. Don't be like Noire, NEVER be like Noire.

"We're almost there sis, just around the-W-Wha?" Unfortunately for the Leanbox sisters, their hopes for returning home all happy and gleeful were perished by what they saw. Or rather, WHO they saw.

For standing there, just a couple feet away from them, was Underling. She had bandages on her face, across her nose, and wearing an arm cast. From the looks of it, she just got out of the hospital. Vert cringed. The Leanbox CPU hoped to just sneak away unnoticed, but her sister had different plans in mind.

"HEY YOU!" For instance, Verna decided to yell at Underling. Said Underling froze in place at the eerily familiar voice. Her fears were confirmed when she looked at the duo in front of her.

"Aw crap..."

"You...You made me pee myself!" Verna had her little fists balled up, pouting in an angry way.

"Y-You're still hung up over that!? Come on, i just left the hospital! Give me a damn break!" Underling just wanted to go to her (lack of) home and rest up her wounds, not deal with the brat and her psycho sister!

"No! Imma make you pay!" Verna then started running towards Underling, and the former ASIC member reacted appropriately.

"CRAAAAAAAAAP!" She ran away.

'GET BACK HERE!" Verna chased after her.

"V-Verna!" And Vert chased after Verna. It went on like this for the next few blocks. Through the bush, around the hot dog cart, pushing through random citizens, narrowly avoiding a conveniently placed big pane of glass (because every chase scene needs those) and finally it came to the street. Verna wasn't letting up.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Underling crossed the street, and stopped to catch her breath.

"NEVER!" Verna still chased after her. Unfortunately, Verna had crossed the street when the light was green...

She didn't see the car coming.


	18. Chapter 18

When Verna had seen the speeding red car heading right towards her, she thought it was all over. That car was going to hit her in a second, because that was all she HAD. Everything felt like it was going in slow motion, and Verna could make out every detail of the soon-to-be accident scene. She saw the white car, going way beyond the speed limit. She saw Underling, a look of horror on her face when she realized what was happening. Judging by her face, Underling was contemplating over whether she should help or not. Finally, she saw her sister, just a couple feet behind them. She was running as fast as her legs could carry her, with fear clearly etched on her features. Verna doubted her big sister, or Underling, would make it in time. That car was only mere inches away from her, and it showed no signs of slowing down. Verna closed her eyes and braced for impact.

She was hit, but not from the direction Verna was expecting.

Instead of being struck head on, Verna felt force from her side. Instead of being splattered across the street by a big chunk of metal, Verna felt a pair of hands hug her close. It took Verna a moment to realize that she wasn't on the road anymore. Instead, she was on the sidewalk, being held ever so gently by her mysterious savior. Verna's eyes shot open, and a pair of forest green eyes stared down at her own blue ones. Verna's heart skipped a beat. It was like an angel had come down and saved the Candidate from death.

"Are you alright little one?" The angel spoke, concern on her face.

Verna couldn't find it in herself to form comprehensible words, so she simply nodded. The angel sighed in relief.

"Thank goodness, you had me worried child. I was afraid that I may have been too late..." The angel let Verna go, and brushed herself off. "Needless to say, that was absolutely reckless. Just what was a child like yourself doing running in traffic like that?" The angels tone was stern now, though it would be impossible not to hear the worry in her voice. It looked like she was checking for any marks or bruises.

Verna had to take a moment to recollect. Her heart was going a mile a minute, not just from the near-accident but from the red-headed angel currently staring at her. Verna couldn't stand because she was shaking so horribly.

"T-That mean g-girl hit m-me in my t-tummy, s-so I wanted to h-hit her back..." Verna explained, her stuttering a result from almost dying. The angel noticed this.

"I see...you're shaking so much child. This is normal..." The angel put a hand on Verna's shoulder in an effort to calm her down, though it only made things worse for Verna's heart when the angel touched her.

"W-Who are you...?" Verna couldn't call her 'The angel' forever, though that title WAS appropriate.

The angel chuckled, and Verna's heart skipped another beat. "I apologize, this all must be very frightening for a girl as young as yourself. I am Cave. And you are?"

Cave. That was the name of this angel who saved her. It was quite simple for someone as pretty as her. "I-I'm-"

"VERNA!" At this point, Vert had finally caught up to her little sister, catching her in a tight embrace. "Y-You're ok, oh thank goodness..."

"Lady Vert..." Cave bowed in respect at the sight of her CPU. "What brings you here? Do you know this child?"

"Y-Yes, this is Verna. S-She is my new little sister." Vert was on the edge of tears as she hugged Verna.

"A little sister? I see..." Cave had then noticed how similar the two looked. The blonde hair, blue eyes, and green clothing were dead give away's. "I suppose your prays have finally been answered Lady Vert. I am aware that you have wanted a little sister for a long time."

"Y-Yes..." And Vert almost lost her little sister. The Goddess shuddered at what would have happened if Cave hadn't been there. Speaking of..."I saw what happened before I got here. I cannot thank you enough Cave."

The warrior nodded. "Of course Lady Vert. Protecting innocents is like a side job for me."

Vert chuckled, and released her sister from her tight grip. "V-Verna, please promise m-me to never do something like that again. I-I don't want to lose you as soon as I had you..."

"I-I'm sorry sis, b-but that meanie-"

"I know Verna, I know..." Vert hugged her again.

"Verna had brought up this 'meanie' before you arrived. Who is she?" Verna blushed when Cave said her name.

"It was Underling. We had an unfortunate encounter with her some time ago, and Verna hadn't let it go."

"S-She hit me..."

"I see..." Cave had glared towards the other sidewalk. Underling was long gone. "She's always causing trouble..."

"D-Do you know her?"

"Yes. I've had some troublesome encounters with her myself in the past. First as a minion for ASIC, now as a petty thief." Cave sighed.

AS-who now? Verna didn't know what that was, but from seeing Cave's fave contort just at the mere mention of it meant that it was something really bad. Verna made a mental note to ask her sister about it later.

"Again, thank you for saving my Verna Cave. I suppose a reward is in order."

Cave simply waved her hand. "Think nothing of it Lady Vert. I don't protect people for any sort of reward."

"Always so selfless...how about dinner at my place then? It's the least I could do for you."

Cave smiled. "Of course."

-O-

"Sis, what's ASIC?"

The complete and unexpected question from Verna had caught Vert and Chika by surprise, to say the least. Chika dropped the plate she was cleaning right in the sink, her face twisting in pain. Vert was shocked, and turned pale white. Verna didn't understand their reactions.

"Chika." That was all Vert had to say. The Oracle left immediately, leaving the Leanbox sisters alone.

"Verna..." Vert had taken a moment to breath. "Who told you about...that?"

"M-Miss Cave said something about it, a-and the way she looked when she said it made me...c-curious..." Verna gulped at her sisters expression.

Vert sighed. "I suppose...this can't be avoided..." Vert plopped down on the couch, with Verna climbing up on her lap. She looked curious, and scared. Vert relaxed her expression. "ASIC, or as we call them, the Arfoire Movement, was a crime syndicate that existed a long time ago. Before you were born." Vert caressed Verna's face. "At first, we thought they posed little to no threat. We had confidence in our abilities to strike this empire down before it even had a chance to grow. Neptune, her sister, Noire, Blanc and myself were sent to the Gamindustri Graveyard, which exists no longer, to defeat them. But..." Vert went silent.

"S-Sis...?" Verna grew worried as she shook Vert slightly. Vert bit her lip. "W-We were no match. Their leader, CFW Magic, proved far more powerful then we could have imagined. She downed al of us in mere seconds, and we were stuck there, bonded and unmoving, for three years."

Verna gasped, horrified, and hugged her sister. "W-What!? A-Are you a-alright sis!?"

Vert smiled softly, and petted Verna's head. "Yes, I'm alright now, but I could not say the same for when I was in that Graveyard."

Verna's grip on Vert tightened. The thought of her sister being in pain did not sit well with Verna.

"Indeed, I was in pain. Time seemed to hold no meaning in that dreaded place. It was like an endless cycle of agony, and all we wanted was to be free." Vert realized that Verna had started crying, and hugged her. "Don't worry, it gets better."

Verna was surprised. H-How could she tell her not to worry when all of these horrible things happened to her!?

"After what felt like eternity, IF and Compa came and saved Nepgear. Later, Nepgear, the other Candidates, and her friends saved us all. ASIC was brought down shortly after."

That happy ending did little to satisfy Verna. Her sister had been in pain, and she wasn't around to make her feel better then. That thought hurt Verna. She wanted to protect her sister, she didn't want Vert to be in pain. Ever.

"S-Sis..." Verna looked up at her sister, determination on her face. "I-I promise...I won't l-let anyone e-ever hurt you. I-I'll protect you sis, I w-will..."

Vert was taken back by how sincere Verna sounded. She meant it, there was no doubting that. She would go out of her way to make sure Vert was safe, wouldn't she? It showed just how much Verna loved her sister, and that made Vert happier then anything

"I-I know you will Verna..." Vert hugged Verna once again, the little sister returning the hug. Vert really was lucky to have a sister as sweet and caring like this. If Vert wasn't grateful before, she sure was now. She would be forever grateful for the little gift in her arms.

Around the corner, Chika watched the whole thing. She wasn't angry at Verna, more happy for them. She had never seen Vert smile that much before Verna arrived. She supposed that...she was even thankful for Verna's birth. The Basilicom had always felt so dull before, and Verna brought life into it. She was like their metaphorical daughter in a way.

Chika smiled at that thought.

"Take care of Vert, Verna...I know you will."


	19. Chapter 19

"Cavey! Welcome back!"

When the SMD Warrior walked inside the doors of Leanbox's Basilicom for the first time in a long time, the first thing she saw was the face of her childhood friend Chika Hakozaki. Of course Chika would be the one to greet Cave first. When Chika heard the news that her old buddy would be visiting them this fine day, the Oracle was ecstatic. It had been far too long since her last visit, and Chika was dying to catch up.

Cave herself had felt a wave of nostalgia when Chika lifted her up in an excited hug. In the past, Cave had visited her old friend frequently, and these visits increased dramatically when ASIC happened. Now however, she rarely came by anymore. She never felt the need to, since Cave had duties of her own to attend to. Cave was a busy woman, and all the leisure time she had she had earned through hard work. Being Gamindustri's ultimate warrior would do that to you. Not to mention she was the bodyguard of Gamindustri's #1 idol, 5pb.

But, despite all of that, Cave had always felt the pull to return. She supposed that she felt bad for just up and disappearing when ASIC was taken care of. With Vert finally home safe and sound, Cave had felt her presence was no longer necessary. She had comforted Chika in those days, being the good friend she was. But that was years ago, and Cave didn't know what to expect in her most recent visit.

Chika welcoming her in open arms was something she expected, however.

"Hello Chika, it's been far too long." Chika's enthusiasm made Cave smile. Her friend had always been so bubbly, so happy that her mere presence was enough to make Chika nearly burst through the roof.

Though as it turns out, Chika wasn't the only one who was happy to see Cave again.

While Chika was busy smothering Cave with her infectious happiness, Verna had taken to watching from a corner, far too nervous to talk to Cave right now.

"Miss C-Cave...she looks so happy to be here..." Verna felt herself stutter when she said Cave's name. Whenever she thought about the warrior, Verna's heart did some really weird things. It was a foreign sensation for the little girl, though it wasn't an unwelcome feeling. It made her feel warm and fuzzy, with her heart beating erratically just from looking at Cave. It had been like this for the past week, and during that time Verna had her own Cave plushie made (courtesy of Plutia) which she had with her right now. She gave it a hug.

"Whenever I think about Miss Cave, my heart acts funny. Whenever I see Miss Cave, my face feels hot..." Verna pressed her hand against her blushing cheek, and it indeed did feel hot. Verna didn't understand these strange, positive feelings towards Cave. At first, Verna thought something was wrong with her, but now...

"Hello Cave, It's so nice for you to join us." Cue her sister walking in and greeting Cave politely. Giving herself a few slaps to her face, Verna gave her Cave plushie one last hug, then finally worked up the courage to go say 'Hi" to Cave.

"Ah, hello little one." Before Verna could utter such a word however, Cave ruffled the young Candidates hair. Verna blushed again.

"H-Hi, M-Miss Cave..." Verna couldn't even lift her head up, she was so nervous and embarrassed at the same time. Thankfully, Vert pulled her in for an affectionate one armed hug, giving Verna time to recollect herself.

"Now then, why don't we get dinner started? Chika has been by the stove all day..."

Cave gave her friend a look, and Chika flushed. "I-I wanted to make you something special Cavey..."

Cave sighed, and ruffled Chika's hair as well. "I appreciate it Chika. Thank you."

Chika beamed, looking like a kid on Pongsmas morning.

Meanwhile, the actual kid in the Basilicom had taken to retreating to her own room. She gave her Cave plushie another hug, pretending that it was the real thing. Verna blushed again as she snuggled the plushie.

"M-Miss Cave...she's so pretty and n-nice..." Clinging onto the plushie like it were her life saver, Verna tried watching T.V in an attempt to take her mind off of Cave. One of her favorite Yuri anime, Sakura Cherry Blossom, was playing on her too-big T.V. Grabbing her usual combination of Mountain Dew and Doritos, Verna was enraptured immediately. This episode focused on the main character trying to get approval from her girlfriends older sister, who also happened to be the student council president.

Crunch. Chug. Snuggle. Repeat. That's what Verna did for the majority of the time. She downed her favorite snack and drink like they were nothing, and gave her Cave plushie her undivided affection. Verna was careful not to get cheese on the doll though.

"Verna?" At that moment, her older sister's voice chimed in. Her head peeked in when Verna was in the middle of hugging the plushie, and when Vert saw the empty bag and bottle, she groaned. "Verna, don't spoil your appetite. I ordered your favorite type of pizza." Vert knew her little sister hated fancy food, so she had something delivered more to Verna's tastes. Which was junk food. Vert sighed.

Verna gasped. "Extra cheesy with stuffed crust?"

Vert nodded. Verna leaped off of her bed and almost knocked Vert over with how fast she went.

'W-Wait Verna, it didn't arrive yet!" Vert chased after the rambunctious Verna.

'Aww..." Verna stared at the door in sadness. She had been denied her pizza.

"I-I told you...it hadn't arrived yet..." Vert had to take a moment to catch her breath. Verna frowned.

Chika chuckled as she made plates of food that smelled good, but looked...weird to Verna. Cave was leaning back on her chair, waiting patiently to be served. She smiled at Verna's antics, and waved at her. Verna flushed and waved back. Great, now her heart was acting funny again.

"Why don't you sit down Verna? Your food should be arriving shortly."

"Ok..." Verna did so, climbing on the couch and turning on a random movie. She didn't know what it was about, but what she gathered was that the main character had her heart broken, because the one she loved was with another. Poor main character. Luckily for her, she found love again, and lived happily ever after.

"Yay~!" Verna loved happy endings.

Ding Dong. That was most likely the pizza. Verna was the one to open the door first, despite being the farthest away from it. She was greeted by...MAGES.!?

"Hello there child, is your sister here?" Yup, it was the Mad Magician herself. But instead of her usual coat and hat, she was instead wearing a a blue cap with the logo Pizza Nep on it, a red tucked-in collar shirt, and tan pants. She also had a rather large pizza box in her hands, which was what a drooling Verna was focused on. MAGES. also seemed to know who Verna was, but since Cave was aware of her, it wouldn't be a surprise if word got out that Leanbox's CPU had a little sister now.

"Y-Yeah she is...Sis, the pizza is here!" Verna was drooling a puddle when Vert showed up. Literally, she almost slipped in it.

"Thank you for-MAGES.?" Vert was, of course, surprised to see 5pb.'s younger sister delivering pizza to her. "W-Why are you...?"

"Rent, bills and scientific inventions are not cheap, Lady Vert." MAGES. explained in a bored tone, like she had explained her situation a hundred times before. She probably did too. MAGES. handed the CPU her order. "That will be $17.49."

Vert grumbled at the price as she dug in her wallet, giving the Magician the money in exact change. MAGES. smiled as she handed her the pizza. "I have to make a delivery to Lady Neptune's Basilicom next." Her face suddnely turned grim.

"Good luck." Vert had a look of sympathy on her face. If, and when, Neptune saw this, MAGES. would never hear the end of it. Once Neptune got started, it was nearly impossible to stop her.

MAGES. simply nodded, accepting her fate, and left.

"Mm~" Verna stared hungrily at the massive slice of pizza. It just looked like a triangle wrapped in cheese, so much cheese, but Verna ate it anyway.

Did I mention that she had the whole pie to herself? Cave stared incredulously.

"Uh..."

The duo of Chika and Vert just sighed. Verna was halfway done with it already.

"Don't ask..."


	20. Chapter 20

Cave's visit had done a lot to little Verna. For one, she developed very confusing and unidentifiable feelings for the older woman. Whenever she thought about Cave, her heart would act funny. Her very own Cave plushie didn't help matters at all, but Verna made no effort to get rid of it. Verna wondered how Plutia managed to get the plushie to smell just like the real Cave, but her sister had told that dwelling on those kinds of thoughts was dangerous.

"Mm..." Verna didn't know what to do with these weird feelings. All she had done so far was hug the heck out of the plushie when she thought about Cave, which was almost always. She had once talked to Rom and Ram about it, though they hadn't been very helpful...

 _"Eh? Are you sure you're not sick or something? Do I need to buy some Ginger Ale?"_

 _"..."_

 _"A-Are you ok Rom?" Verna had asked._

 _"J-Just fine..."_

When Verna realized that the twins weren't much help, she turned to Nepgear and Uni next...

 _"IT'S NOTHING! ABSOLUTLY ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT **NOTHING!** " Uni was blushing furiously._

 _"U-Uh, Uni? S-She only asked-"_

 _"Y-YOU STAY OUT OF THIS! I-IT'S NOT LIKE I LIKE YOUR O-OR ANYTHING!"_

 _"I-I didn't even ask anything remotly close to that..."_

So her fellow Candidates were no help at all. Verna had gotten no explanation as of late, leaving her to sit and contemplate in her room. She sighed. Verna supposed she could ask the older CPUs about it, but that in itself could go horribly wrong. Neptune kinda scared her with her rambunctious personality, Noire was so tsundere that she'd probably give Verna the same answer Uni gave her, and Verna never took Blanc as the romantic type. Or whatever these feelings were. That just left her own sister, Vert. She was busier than usual these days, though Verna didn't know why. She understood though. Vert had told her that being a CPU wasn't very easy. Given how ridiculously young Verna was, she never got any work. That was fine with her, Verna hated exerting energy.

Now, she was contemplating her feelings., and possibly life in general. Not even her yuri anime could distract Verna from her feelings. She just needed to know what these feelings were, and everything would be so much clearer!

"Verna?" Her sister's voice, followed by her poking her head in, had startled Verna out of her thoughts. Vert had a worried expression on her face.

"H-Hi sis..." Verna said meekly. She didn't feel like talking to her sister right now, but it seemed her thoughts wouldn't matter much here.

Vert walked in, concerned. "Verna, you've been oddly introverted these past few days. Are you all right?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." One look on her face could show that Vert didn't believe her. "R-Really."

Vert sat on Verna's bed, looking a bit exasperated. "You know I don't like it when you lie, Verna. Tell me what's bothering you. Please." Vert sounded pleading on that last word.

Verna sighed, and hugged her Cave plushie. "I-It's about... Miss Cave..."

Vert nodded. She had been expecting this, for the most part. Verna had carried that plushie everywhere she went, so Vert had her suspicions. "What about Miss Cave?"

"U-Uh..." Verna blushed, scratching her cheek.

"What? You can tell me." Vert gave her sister a comforting pat on the head.

Verna bit her lip, struggling to find the right words to say. She still didn't know what these feelings were, which really bothered her. "W-When I think about Miss Cave, my cheeks feel hot. M-My heart goes super fast, and it's m-making me feel weird..." Verna looked down, embarrassed. Well, maybe her older sister knew what these feelings were? It wouldn't surprise her, Verna had always thought her sister knew everything. She looked and sounded smart, so Verna was just under the impression.

Unfortunately for Verna, that wasn't entirely true...

"Maybe you're just nervous from the visit. Perhaps we can meet Cave again. She's free today!"

... for Vert had completely misread her little sisters true feelings, and mistook them for nervousness!

"W-Wha?" Verna had felt nervous before, and these feelings definitely weren't it. And the thought of seeing Cave **again**... "I-I don't think that's a good idea..."

"Nonsense!" Without warning, Vert had lifted Verna up and hoisted her over her shoulder. "You need to get to know Miss Cave better, so a visit will do you good."

"N-NO! P-Put me down!" Verna struggled to get loose, but Vert had a steel grip.

"Now now, don't be so rambunctious. A simple visit won't kill you." Vert had transformed by that point, and was ready for liftoff.

' _E-Easy for you to say...'_ Verna thought sourly. "I-I don't wanna..."

Green Heart merely chuckled. "You are too cute sometimes, Verna. Off we go!" They took off in seconds.

* * *

"Here we are!"

The Leanbox sisters arrived to where Cave would be in minutes, Green Heart cheerful and Verna grumpy. As soon as they touched down, Verna crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks out in adorable defiance.

"Don't be like that, Verna." Vert sternly told her, reverting back to her blonde-haired self. "We're here to see Cave, please don't be rude."

Verna simply huffed and turned away. Vert sighed at her sister's peculiar behavior.

In any case, they had arrived on a beach, where it looked like a concert was in the making. Construction crew from left to right, a currently unfinished stage, and Cave herself standing stoically in the midst of it all, most likely looking for potential stalkers.

Verna's heart skipped several beats when she saw Cave. Instantly, her face flushed red and she looked down at her toes.

"Come now Verna, don't be so shy." said Vert with a comforting pat on her sister's head. "Cave is practically family after all."

"Eh? Family?" Verna was surprised by that statement.

"Yes, would you believe me if I said that Chika and Cave were a package deal? I remember it like it was yesterday, those two were by my doorstep, practically joined at the hip. They looked so young and innocent, they were around Rom's age when I found them, and I simply couldn't resist taking them in. I found out later that the poor things were orphans."

"O-Orphans?" Verna asked in shock.

"Yes, sadly that was the case. I took them in and raised them on my own. I gave my love and nourishment, and I think I did well, don't you think?" Vert chuckled. "Cave lived with us for quite some time, but she was always the mature one. She moved out when she was only 15, and she made quite a name for herself. I'm so proud..." Vert pretended to wipe a tear from her eye.

"W-Were Miss Chika and Miss Cave friends?"

"Yes, and they still are. Those two are very close, and I can't really explain the bond between the two of them. They were inseparable when they were younger, but now they've gone about their own ways. Still, their friendship is as strong as the day I first saw them." Vert smiled.

Verna looked at Cave with awe, now having learned about some of her past. Who would've thought that her big sister basically adopted Cave? Certainly not Verna.

"Cave had always felt like a daughter to me." Vert went on. "And I knew she thought of me as a mother. A mother she never had. Sometimes there is more to people than meets the eye, Verna, remember that."

Verna nodded, suddenly fascinated with learning more about Cave. At that moment, the SMD warrior noticed the two and gave them a friendly wave. Verna waved back.

"Why don't you go say hello?" Vert encouraged. "I'm sure you want to hear more about Cave."

Verna nodded again, and walked over to the older woman. The confusing feelings she had were still as fresh as ever, so Verna wasn't very enthusiastic about being so close to her.

"Hello, little one." Cave greeted with a warm smile. "I'm pleasantly surprised to see you and your sister here."

"S-Sis said you weren't busy, s-so we came to see you." Man, just hearing Cave's voice was enough to get her heart racing. She hoped she wasn't blushing, but she could feel her cheeks burn.

And apparently, Cave noticed this. "Are you feeling alright Verna?" Verna's heart leaped when Cave said her name. "You look very red." Cave placed a hand on Verna's cheek, which made her poor heart go into overdrive.

"I-I'm fine..." said Verna, still blushing.

Cave didn't entirely believe that, but Verna sounded fine, so she let it go. "If you say so..."

Verna sighed in relief, but for some reason, she missed the feeling of Cave touching her. Verna imagined a big bucket of ice cold water and mentally poured it on herself.

"Hey Cave!" A voice that sounded like wind chimes broke through at that moment, and the pair turned to see Gamindustri's idol, 5pb, running up to them.

"What is it, 5pb.?" Verna didn't know if she was hearing things, but she could swear she heard Cave get affectionate when she said the idol's name.

"I just needed a moment of your time, I won't be long. Oh?" The blue-haired girl then noticed that Cave had company. Lyrica smiled for her. "Well hi there, little girl! How are you?"

"Mm..." Verna took a small step away from this someone she didn't know, despite 5pb.'s normally calming smile.

So, Cave stepped in on the Candidate's behalf. "Allow me to introduce her to you, Lyrica. This is Verna, Leanbox's CPU Candidate and Vert's little sister."

5pb.'s eyes lit up when she heard who the little girl was, now almost completely hiding behind Cave, was. "Oh right, you told me about her the other day!" She knelt down closer to Verna's level. "Hello, Verna! It's very nice to meet you!"

"... Hi." Verna replied, unenthusiasm in her tone.

5pb. gave her a nervous smile back, feeling the pressure. "U-Uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I mean you no harm; I'm one of your sister's many friends, as well as Cave's bestie!"

The Leanbox agent then stepped off to the side, revealing Verna and catching her by surprise. Cave reached down and rubbed Verna's head, comforting her as well as stopping her from hiding again. "Verna tends to be rather shy around strangers, like she did with me. I'm sure that given the time, she will open up to us both, wouldn't you say Verna?"

"I-I guess, heehee~." Verna replied, enjoying the rub up until 5pb. stood back up, with Cave removing her hand right after.

"Anyway, you requested a moment with me, 5pb.?" Cave asked her friend, almost sounding like she was glad that 5pb. wanted to be around her.

5pb. nodded. "Uh-huh. It won't be long, just a thing or two I need an opinion." She looked towards Verna. "Do you mind if I speak with Cave for just a teensy bit, Verna?"

Verna looked off to Cave then back to the idol. "S-Sure...?"

From then on, Verna didn't really hear the conversation going on between both adults, because she was far too busy glowering at 5pb. For some reason, Verna didn't like the idol being that close to Cave. The way she looked at her made Verna feel... mad? Frustrated? Verna had no idea.

"... and since it's supposed to be really hot on the day of the concert, I was deciding on what I should wear..." 5pb. pulled out two outfits, both swimsuits but very different in design. The one in her right hand was a very... ahem, revealing black bikini that left little to the imagination. The one in her left hand was more tame, a simple dark blue one-piece swimsuit, like the ones girls would wear at swim practice. "We're going with the beach theme, so I would really like your opinion Cave. Which one should I wear?"

It was no contest for Cave.

"I feel the bikini would suit the theme much more than the one-piece, wouldn't you agree?" Cave looked and sounded serious on the outside, but on the inside she was gushing from imagining 5pb. in that bikini. As if her normal outfit wasn't revealing enough, this one was just begging for people to look at her. It was a good thing Cave was good at hiding her emotions.

"Y-Yeah, you're right! Thanks, Cave! Bye, Verna!" The idol ran off all happy, and when 5pb. was happy, Cave was happy. It was kinda cheesy, but Cave felt strongly for Lyrica. It was something that had been jabbing at her for a long time now; a simple, yet powerful four letter word. A word Cave had trouble saying out loud.

 **Love.**

"M-Miss Cave?" The warrior felt a small hand tug on her arm, and she saw little Verna looking at her all confused and adorable. "W-Why are you staring at Miss 5pb. like that?" There was venom when Verna said 5pb.'s name, but Cave didn't seem to notice.

"A-Ah, um..." It appeared that Cave made a slip, and let her emotions control her actions. While she was thinking, it appeared that Cave was looking at 5pb. in a very lecherous manner. Thankfully, because of her innocence, Verna didn't understand what that look meant. The very fact that Verna caught Cave staring at her like that in the first place made her feel ashamed in herself. She was better than that.

"I wasn't staring at 5pb., Verna, I was simply enjoying the view of the ocean." Cave lied smoothly. Another thing she had perfected, whenever she felt the need to do so. At least Cave wasn't a compulsive liar.

"O-Oh, ok..." Verna bought it hook, line and sinker. Then again, she was only 5.

Speaking of, Verna had a hard time controlling herself again. She moved away from Cave, but her mind was screaming at her to move closer. These feelings were doing bad things to her heart, and since everyone she asked so far haven't given her a proper answer, Verna decided she was gonna go to the last person she thought would help. Then again, maybe she would surprise her? She seemed really smart at least.

Verna was gonna get answers. Once and for all.

* * *

"Miss Blanc, I need your help..."

Blanc had been having a fairly acceptable day. The twins haven't been causing too much of a ruckus... yet. Her Basilicom was all nice and fixed, and she was in the zone with her new story! Overall, she was in a good mood..., until Vert's little sister had decided to spontaneously appear out of nowhere. And just like that, Blanc's good mood was ruined.

"Why can't you ask anyone else?" Blanc grumbled. She was still rather sour over Verna demolishing her Basilicom, even though she (begrudgingly) forgave her.

"W-Well, I tried asking Rom, Ram, Nepgear and Uni, but they either didn't know or yelled at me. M-Miss Neptune scares me, Miss Noire would yell at me, and sis is—"

"Alright, I get it!" yelled an exasperated Blanc. Hoping this would be quick and easy, Blanc looked up from her laptop and stared at the little marshmallow known as Verna. "Whaddya need help with, kid?"

"W-Well, it's more of a question, a-and I was hoping you had an answer."

"Well, spit it out then. What's your question?" asked an annoyed Blanc.

Verna gulped. "C-Can you tell me why I always feel weird around Miss Cave?"

...

...

...

Blanc blinked. "What."

"W-Whenever I think of around Miss Cave or when I'm around her, m-my cheeks burn, my heart beats funny, a-and it's starting to scare me a little!"

Blanc sighed. Since it was obvious she wasn't going to get any work done now, she closed her laptop and pressed her fingers together in a questioning manner. She looked quite exasperated. The worst part was she knew exactly what Verna was feeling.

"Before I tell you, let me ask you this... Do you know what love is?" Blanc wondered how her life had gotten to the point where she was teaching Vert's very little sister about the meaning of love.

"S-Sorta..." Verna answered meekly.

"Let me ask again. Do you love your sister?"

"Yes!" Verna's answer was automatic.

"Okay..." Blanc wondered how she was gonna explain this properly. "Alright, here's the gist of it, Verna. There are different kinds of love. You said you love your sister right?" Verna nodded. "Well, that would familial love, or love you feel for your family. These... feelings you have for Cave however, might be something else."

"Like what?" asked the Candidate, now listening with rapt attention.

Blanc cleared her throat, getting embarrassed. "From what you've told me, the feelings you have for Cave could most likely be love. T-The romantic kind."

"Ooooooh..." Verna was fascinated by Lady White Heart's wisdom, and suddenly everything wasn't so scary and confusing anymore. She thought back to her yuri anime, and remembered that she herself had been going through very similar phases of being in love as those girls on screen! Of course! It all made sense now!

The self-realization was very apparent on Verna's face. "Do you understand, kid? 'Cause I don't want to repeat myself."

Verna nodded vigorously. "I understand Miss Blanc!"

"Good..."

"Miss Blanc, how do you know so much about love?"

Blanc sputtered. "T-That's not any of your business kid." She wasn't about to admit that she got her love knowledge from books, and she also wasn't going to admit that she had feelings for a certain Lastation Oracle...

"Alright..., see you later Miss Blanc!" Verna left, and Blanc sighed in relief. She was probably gonna get hell from Vert about this, but she didn't give a damn. Blanc knew this wasn't going to end well for Verna, and for that, she felt a pang of sympathy for the kid.

"Hope things work out for you, kid..." Blanc mumbled, then went back to writing her story.


	21. Chapter 21

"Come now, Verna, we're going to be late!"

"C-Coming!" **THUD** "Owie!"

"Verna!"

Preparation for 5pb's beach concert had been more or less chaotic. The idol, being the nice girl she was, invited all her friends to the concert. Unfortunately, since wearing a swimsuit was a requirement, the Leanbox sisters had to look for one for Verna. As it turned out, finding a child-sized swimsuit wasn't as easy as Vert expected. It took a good three hours before Vert found a cute, green one-piece for Verna, accompanied with a snorkel and a pair of goggles. Vert herself felt that she didn't need one, but for the sake of following the rules (and showing off, of course), she complied, though this brought them to the issue of Verna trying to get in the darn thing. She ended up tripping over herself and crashing to the ground below.

"Ow... I think I have a bump..." Verna groaned as she rubbed her head. Vert was by her side in a nanosecond.

"Let me see..." Vert checked her sister's head for even the slightest bruise or scratch. Thankfully, she came up empty. "You're lucky, Verna, we would have stayed if you had hurt yourself."

"Noooooo... How would I live without a beach concert?" Verna flopped dramatically into her sisters arms, and sighed even more dramatically. Vert laughed.

"You're so silly, Verna."

"I know... Heehee." Verna giggled. Vert smiled and booped her sisters nose.

"We don't want to be late now, do we? It would be rude."

"Yeah, lets go!" Verna hopped out of her sister's arms and was already running out the door. Unfortunately for Vert...

"P-Please wait, I don't have child-speed!" Vert got up as well and followed after her, having some trouble, thanks to two very big reasons.

* * *

"I've never been to a concert before, or a beach. This is gonna be fun!" Verna could barely keep her excitement in check as she and Vert made way for Love Beach (The beach's name sounds cheesy, but it's a well known spot for couples and love blossoming.)

"Take care not to get sand all over you, Verna." Vert kept close by her sister, wearing a two-pieced, green and white bikini, and a light, breezy jacket over her shoulders. Oh, and a sun hat. You gotta have it.

"Okay, sis. I'll be in the water anyways. I brought my Dorito floaties!" Verna shook said triangle-shaped floaties, since she obviously couldn't swim.

The beach itself was very crowded, more than it was on any other day. This was most likely due to 5pb performing here. Verna could see all of Neptune's buddies spread far and wide, either in the water or playing in the sand. In fact, a certain ninja named MarvelousAQL was attracting quite a few glances, for quite the obvious reasons. Why is it that her swimsuit barely fit her as well? It looked like it was going to pop.

"Stay where I can see you!" Vert exclaimed as she set up a beach chair and laid into it, ready to take in some sun... Of course, where there was a sunbathing Vert...

"Allow me to apply the lotion, my darling~!"

... there was a Chika ready and willing to get all up in her.

Vert just nodded. "Make sure not to engage in actions too mature for this story's rating, Chika."

Verna was hobbling off, ready for the water and its advanced trench of darkness and fishys, when she spotted Rom and Ram. Their sister was behind them, but her eyes were elsewhere... "Hi Rom! Hi Ram!" Verna greeted happily

"H-Hi, Verna...!" Rom excitedly greeted.

"Hey there." Ram said more normally. "I guess you're here to have fun too, huh? Well, so are we!"

The blonde Candidate then proclaimed "I'm gonna snag some fishys! And go deep sea diving!" while doing a twirl. As far as deep sea diving was concerned, she'd go at least as far as her snorkel allowed, but that totally unimportant fact didn't matter to Verna.

"Verna, look at what we found...!" Rom lifted up a colorful, coral-like structure that seemed big enough to fit on one's head. "Isn't it pretty~?"

"Wooooah..." Verna looked at the coral thingy... then put it on her head. "Heehee, it's like a hat!"

"H-Hey! Give that back to us!" Ram yelled. "We found it first, it's ours!"

"N-No, Ram...! It looks nice on Verna...!" Rom had a hint of pink in her cheeks as she said that last part. "I want her to have it...!"

Then, Verna straightened herself up, proudly proclaiming, "I am the Princess of the Sea! All bow down to me!" She was clearly enjoying herself, as she started walking around like a tyrannical ruler, pretending that a random stick she found was a sword. The mighty sand didn't stand a chance.

"Aw... I wanted to be Princess of the Sea...!" Ram lamented. As much as she'd like to complain, she didn't want to start trouble, plus Rom looked happy when Verna was.

"I wanna be a princess too...!" said Rom, bunching up her fingers below her chin. "I'm going to find my own crown, and I'll get to be princesses with you, Verna...!"

"Yaaaaay!" Verna's and Rom's excitement made the adorableness level go over the product of forty-five hundred times two! Before they could go out and crown hunt, however...

"Don't get too rowdy out there, you two!" Blanc yelled from the shore, underneath an umbrella and reading a book.

"And please, keep away from the jellyfish!" added the ever-worrying Mina. Both were wearing swimsuits of their own, though Mina looked far more appealing for... obvious reasons.

Blanc grumbled. Mina was bigger than she thought.

"Hi, Miss Blanc! Hi, Miss Mina!" Verna yelled from the distance.

Mina merely smiled and waved, while Blanc apparently didn't notice that two became three. "Hello, Verna...! You behaving over there...?"

Verna nodded. "Rom found a cool crown! I'm the Princess of the sea!" She held her 'sword' up high and proud.

"I see. Well, have fun then." Blanc went back to her book. She knew, however, that things would get crazy sooner or lat—

"SANDBALL FIGHT!"

 **WHACK!**

"ACK!"

Neptune had hit Blanc with a... sandball?

"H-Hi, Miss Neptune!" said Verna, though she was scared a little, thanks to how Neptune usually acted.

"Howdy-doody, Vert Jr.!" greeted a certain Nep-Nep, running over to Blanc's umbrella with Nepgear following closely behind.

"Sister, what did Histoire tell you before coming here...? Sand isn't as comfy as snow. We're sorry, Blanc..." Ever the apologist, Gear apologized for her sister's actions.

All Blanc did to respond was growl and remember that there were public and children present, so she went back to her book in protest.

"Yecch, I heard about sand getting in your toes, and it's supposed to be uncomfy!" Verna shuddered. "O-Oh, and hi, Miss Nepgear."

"Hello, Verna!" Gear waved back with a smile. "It's been quite a bit since we last saw each other!"

Nepgear then felt a pair of hands over her shoulders; apparently, Neptune could teleport short-range. "Now then, go off and have yer fun in the drink, oh sister of mine!" Neptune physically urged her sister to the water. "I gotta bug Blanny 'bout a thing or two! Catch you like a wave later!"

"O-Okay!"

And so, Nepgear waded her way to the other Candidates.

"I'm the Princess of the Sea, lookit my cool crown!" Verna pointed to the 'crown' on her forehead.

"Aw, it's so cool!" complimented Gear.

"I gave it to her, Miss Nepgear...!" responded Rom.

"It's still kind lame giving the one we had away, but whatever." Ram semi-complained.

"Miss Nepgear, kneel down please." Verna asked adorably, with her 'sword' in her hand

"Eh? Like this?" Nepgear lowered herself as far as she could in the water.

"Yep!" Verna did the motion one would do while knighting someone...with her stick. "I, the Princess of the Sea, hereby make you my Sea Knight! And as my Sea Knight, you have to do whatever I say!" Verna was enjoying this far more than necessary.

"Ahhhh! Well thank you, Queen Verna!" exclaimed Gear.

"What?! I wanna be a Sea Knight too!" Ram yelled.

"Okay! Kneel down please!"

"H-Huh?" Ram hadn't been expecting Verna to just do it. "Er, gotcha! Imma do it!" Ram went down far enough so that her nose was above the water.

Verna did the knighting motion with Ram as well. "There, now you're BOTH my Sea Knights!"

"Y-Yeah! I'm going to be the BESTEST Sea Knight you ever had!" Ram was beside herself; she liked being titled something cool.

"Congratulations on your knighthood, Ram!" Gear responded.

"Um..." Rom just fidgeted bashfully.

"Hm? You wanna be a Sea Knight too, Rom?" Verna asked.

"Mm-mm." Rom shook her head No. "I wanna be a princess with you...!"

"O-Oh! Okay, that's cool too!" Verna smiled. "Sea Knights, for your first task, you have to find a crown for Rom too! Whoever finds one first gets a hug!"

"You got it! I'll try my best!" Nepgear dove into the sea.

"Uh..., I'll just stick close to the shore then!" responded a worried Ram. "You owe me one, Verna!" She went off.

"I'll just snorkel to pass the time. Bloop!" Verna dove in, the top of her snorkel poking out.

"Huh? Oh." Rom was worried for just a teensy bit when she saw Verna disappear, but then she had noticed the snorkel very much in sight. Rom couldn't help but mutter, "You're so nice, Verna...!"

Verna instantly came back to the surface, spluttering and coughing. "Bleh! Water in my nose!"

"V-Verna! Are you okay?" Rom was already by her side, rubbing her back.

"Y-Yeah..." Verna coughed. "I-I guess I inhaled too quick..."

"W-Well, don't do something that might hurt you..., okay?"

Verna nodded. "S-Sorry..."

"It's okay...! I know you just wanna be n-nice to me, so—"

"L-LOOK OUT BELOOOOW!"

 _SPLASH!_

"Wah!"

"Eeep!" The two got splashed by a sudden presence, a presence they hadn't felt in— Oh, it was just Uni, floating somewhat lifelessly with her back and lower body bobbing in the air. Nice.

"...blblbl..." was all Lastation's Candidate could say.

"O-Oh, hi Miss Uni..." Verna meekly greeted.

"Yah!" Uni brought her top half up out of the water, now in a position to communicate like normal people. "H-Hi, Verna..., Rom..." She looked very dazed.

"A-Are you okay?"

Verna's innocent question was then answered with three words on-shore.

"DAMN IT, PLUTIA!"

"Oh Noire, you saaaaved me...!"

Apparently something else was happening on said on-shore.

"What... happened? O_o" Verna asked, channeling a bit of Histoire with her emoticon use.

It looked like Noire had been used as a landing pad yet again, with Plutia sitting on her as a result.

"I'm not even the same Noire!" yelled the black-haired CPU. "Why did this have to happen to me?!"

"Hi, Miss Noire! Hi, Miss Plutia!"

"GET OFF OF ME ALREADY!"

"Aw, but I don't wanna...!" Plutia was quite comfortable sitting on her friend

"Got any room there for a Nep, Plutie?" Neptune went and sat by her friend's side, also on Noire.

"Of cooourse, Neppy~." Plutia's voice sure got affectionate when she said Neptune's name.

 **"GAAAAH!"** Noire didn't notice this, for she was currently being sat on.

"Uh..." Seeing that her greeting went unheard, Verna's hand went limp.

From the side, Uni shook off some of her post-splash jitters, before comforting Verna. "Ugh... Don't be sad Verna... They're off in their own little world now, so it might take a bit before they notice you. Kinda wished I didn't end up launching off thanks to Plutia..."

"Does... Does this happen often?"

Uni shook her head. "Me launching, no. Our sisters getting into some sort of dumb squabble, all the time. Noire will say hello eventually though."

"Okay..." Verna went back to snorkeling. "Bloop..."

A fact then came across Uni's mind, one that was a little embarrassing in the grand scheme of things. "Ehehe. Right, it's been pretty long since we last saw each other too. Eh?"

Uni then noticed Rom silently looking at Verna with a blush on her face. She didn't want to ruin her mood, so Uni decided not to tease the younger Candidate.

From underwater, Verna nodded, before coming back up. "It's been like... 11 chapters O-O" Aw, her first fourth-wall break!

For that, Uni patted Verna's head. "Don't break the fourth wall too often, you he- EEEH!"

Suddenly, Uni was lifted out of the water!

"Sneaky Nepgear Sneak Attack!" Nepgear exclaimed as Uni now sat on her shoulders.

"Sea Knight! Did you bring back a crown for Rom?" Verna got back to her Sea Princess act in a snap.

Nepgear's expression dropped when Verna said that. "No... I'm sorry, Verna, I didn't find anything in the sea."

"Get me down from here, Nepgear! I d-don't want to straddle your head!" Uni complained.

"Bad Sea Knight!" Verna was clearly upset about the lack of crown. "Where's Sea Knight Ram?"

Coincidentally, Ram floated in, on her back. "Eh, I kinda found one, but..." She raised up what looked more like a coral tiara than a crown.

"Close enough!" Verna took it and placed it on Rom's forehead. "There, now you're a Sea Princess too!"

"Mmm..." Rom thought on it. "I think yours looks more like a king's crown... wh-while I'm a queen...?"

"Aren't Kings guys though? Unless I am one...O-O" Verna looked wide-eyed and confused. Rom sputtered in hearing her friend's self-doubt, and tried to explain things to Verna...

 **Meanwhile, on the shore...**

"OH, THAT'S IT! I DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO THIS!"

Someone was shouting on said shore, and lo and behold, it was Blanc, staring off against Noire.

"I don't get what's the problem." said the Lastation CPU. "You two seem like a good fit, I'm just trying to help."

"I-I don't need your help meeting her! I'll do it on my own damn time!" Blanc turned away from Noire in a huff, secretly hoping the tsundere didn't see her blush.

For those who don't know, Noire was referring to her own Oracle, Kei. Noire was quick to notice the too-long glances Blanc always shot at Kei, which was so often that Noire was wondering if Blanc was even reading that book. Kei didn't seem to notice though, lost in a book of her own.

"Oh come on, it's obvious you got a thing for Kei! And we're at Love Beach! It's like everything is being handed to you! All you have to do is speak to her!"

"I-I'll do it on my own, just leave me alone!" Blanc whined, sounding like Ram while doing so.

Noire raised her hands up, as if admitting defeat. "Fine, be that way. But if I were you, I wouldn't waste my time doing nothing."

Blanc abruptly grinned. "Funny you should say that, especially when your own crush is being stolen away by that sleepy idiot."

"Eh? Neptune? _Plutia!?_ " Noire glanced worriedly towards Neptune's spot on the beach, and saw with horror that Plutia was just a little too close to Neptune, offering her ice cream. In fact, Plutia had been nothing but affectionate towards Neptune ever since she got here! J-Just what does this beach do to people!?

Blanc's grin was superior. "You don't wanna waste your time doing nothing, right?"

Noire didn't so much as glance towards Blanc, as she was already sprinting towards where Neptune and Plutia were. She better hurry up, it looked like they were sharing a cone. Blanc laughed.

"Ha ha. Serves her right, what does she know about love..." Blanc glanced at Kei again, who had discarded her book and chose to sunbath instead. Blanc blushed.

 **Back in the water...**

"PUT ME DOWN, NEPGEAR! WHY ARE YOU HOLDING ME SO CLOSE?!" Uni was still very hoisted up by Nepgear.

"Oh..., okay." Nepgear reached behind her and lowered Uni by her legs. For some reason, Nepgear looked disappointed when she did this. But... "Huh...? My head feels kinda hot for some reason...?"

"N-Never mind that!" Uni blushed. "Ugh, I can't believe this..."

Verna was about to say something, but she stopped cold when she saw a certain redhead by the shore. Her heart skipped a beat

"M-Miss Cave~." Verna blushed.

"Hm? Is someone calling for me?" It hadn't been particularly loud, so Cave heard Verna speak her name. She looked around until she saw the Candidates, notably Verna staring in her direction. "Ah, I see. Hello, little ones." She walked up close to the water, with only her feet getting wet. Yes, she was wearing the swimsuit that everybody loves, the one with the black-and-white stripes and the slings that connected her top and bottoms.

"H-Hi Miss Cave~." Verna walked up to her awkwardly, while the other Candidates also gave their greetings.

"Good day, Cave!"

"Hi there, Cave."

"Hey there, Miss Cave!"

"Hi..."

No guesses as to who said what, but Rom's response to Cave came in kind of sour, but still adorable enough to not register as sourness.

"I-It's nice to see you again." Verna looked and felt as red as a tomato. She felt her cheeks burning, so she splashed some water on her face to calm herself down... "Blech!" ... only to express disgust at splashing saltwater at herself. Verna shook it off, and returned to feeling lovey-dovey in no time.

"Likewise, Verna." Cave grinned. "You all seem to be enjoying yourselves here, so this event may end up turning out well. Anyway, I'm afraid I cannot stay for too long chatting. I need to return to the concert venue for Lyrica. I hope you all get to enjoy it!"

Verna turned her head to see 5pb, also in a swimsuit. She glowered, but it wasn't noticeable.

"We will! Take care then!" Nepgear waved off Cave, who began walking along the shore towards 5pb. The redhead also decided to ignore whatever was going on with the CPUs for the time being...

"Mm..." Verna hummed.

"I-Is something wrong, Verna...?" Rom questioned meekly.

"N-No..." Verna was a bad liar.

"Okay...?" Rom couldn't tell that Verna stared at 5pb for the same reason that she did to Cave.

"Imma go over here..." Verna walked, grumbling. A second later, seemingly over it, she went back to snorkeling.

"Uh, did you two notice Verna and Rom... acting weird?" Uni said quietly to the other two.

"I, uh... I can't say for sure, but something's weird all right." replied Nepgear.

"Meh, I guess I have to worry about Verna too... How did Rom get to be so close with her anyways...?" said Ram.

Meanwhile, a good couple feet away from the others, Verna was having fun with her 'deep sea diving'.

"Bloop...bloop...ooooh, what's that weird jelly thingy?" Verna thought, as she came upon some jelly thingy that looked like... a weird jelly looking thing. It didn't look dangerous, and it even had a lot of tentacles sticking out from under it. If Verna had been paying attention, she would have noticed the 'Beware Of Jellyfish' sign on this particular section of the beach...

"I wanna touch it!" Sadly, Verna didn't notice. She extended her foot to touch one of the weird tentacle things the jelly thingy had.

Verna immediately regretted this decision.

"OWIE! OwO" Verna jumped a good several feet out of the water, clutching her stung foot.

"V-Verna...?"

"Verna?!"

Both Rom and Vert yelled out when they saw the littlest Candidate jump. They weren't the only ones, just about everyone on the beach heard Verna's cry of pain.

Verna hopped back to shore, gripping her left foot. "Ow..ow..ow! QwQ" She fell on her bum, clearly in pain.

"I'm coming, Vern-ahhh!" Rom just fell forward into the water, having lost her footing.

Vert was much less careful, rocketing out from her seat and leaving the others behind in a cloud of sand. However, thanks to two very big reasons, she couldn't run as fast as she'd like.

Before either of them could get to her, however...

"Stand aside, I am here to assist!" Cave was already there, with a first-aid kit on hand.

"It huuuuuuurts! " Verna whined, tearing up.

"Just stay still for me, Verna. I've got you." Cave held Verna still with her injured leg out in front. She then concernedly asked, "What happened?"

"I-I touched t-this weird j-jelly thing, a-and it s-stung me...!" Verna whimpered.

"I see..." Cave then began applying the remedy for jellyfish stings, which is actually more involved than one might think.

It involved taking out any stingers she could find, putting on a baking soda paste over the area, then applying an ice pack. Cave was rather prepared, it seemed.

"Owww..." Verna cringed, but she trusted the Leanbox agent. After all the treatment was over, Cave nodded.

"There, I have done all I could." Cave said as she gave a bottle of soothing lotion to Verna. "That is for the pain. Unfortunately, you are still going to feel discomfort for a few days. Stay strong, Verna."

Verna nodded, still tearing up. Thanks to that jellyfish, she was now afraid of the ocean...

Verna tried to stand up on her own feet, but it hurt when she put pressure on her left leg. "O-Ow..."

"Hm, I see." Cave then lifted Verna up in her arms. "Don't worry, little one. I will help you with this as well."

"VERNA!" Vert finally came running up to the both of them, exhausted despite the short distance.

"H-Hi, sis..." Verna didn't seem to mind that she was in such close proximity to Cave, maybe it was because the sting caused her not to think about Cave— Oh goddess-darn it. Verna blushed when she realized the situation she was in.

"Your sister had come into contact with a jellyfish." explained Cave. "She's lucky it was just her foot. I shudder to think what would of happened if it touched her face."

Both Cave and Vert cringed.

"At any rate, she will be feeling some discomfort for a few days, but she will recover." Cave then handed Verna over to a reaching, worried Vert.

"O-Of course." Vert said, accepting Verna into her arms. "I thank you for all your help, Cave..."

"T-Thanks Miss Cave..." Verna mumbled, blushing.

The redhead offered a comforting smile, while the other ladies looked relieved.

True to her word, Verna did indeed feel uncomfortable. "M-Mm..."

"Now then, I must be off...," began Cave, sounding somewhat sad, but still dutiful, "for I need to remain on premises for 5pb's concert. What will you do now, Lady Vert?"

"U-Um..." Vert wasn't quite sure. She couldn't be as happy with Verna being as pained as she was.

Verna didn't want to leave, however; she really wanted to see that concert, and she wasn't gonna let some dumb jellyfish sting stop her. "I-It doesn't hurt so bad, sis, I-I can just play in the sand. T-The water scares me..."

Vert was rather surprised to hear her sister trying to tough it out. As she knew full well, Verna was not as delicate as she looked, as evidenced by all the empty junk food bags she threw out a day...

"C-Can we stay? Please?" Verna pleaded.

Vert knew she couldn't resist. "Sure, we can stay."

"Yay!"

* * *

For the rest of the day, Verna spent her time in the sand, close to her sister's side. A worried Rom sat next to her, helping her make sand castles. Since the incident, Verna had changed her title from Princess of the Sea to Princess of the Sand. It didn't have the same ring to it, but Verna was too scared to go back in the water.

"D-Dumb jellyfish..." Verna grumbled.

Rom gave her friend a comforting pat. "It's alright Verna, w-we can still have fun in the sand..." She tried to make the best of a bad situation. "How's your leg?"

"Hurts..." Said Verna meekly. "B-But I can deal with it..." Verna rubbed more lotion on her leg, wincing a bit.

Rom looked concerned, not entirely believing Verna, but letting it go anyway.

"S-Shouldn't you go back to the water?" asked the little Leanbox native. "Y-You're the Princess of the Sea now..." Verna had relinquished her 'crown' to Rom, taking the tiara instead and assuming her new role.

"My Sea Knights can take care of stuff, b-besides, I don't wanna leave you while you're in pain..." Rom blushed a bit.

"T-Thanks, Rom, b-but I— **AH!** " Verna was cut off when a head popped up in front of her, effectively scaring her and destroying her sand castle.

"EEK!" Rom fell backwards. They were both covered in sand.

"Hm? Oh my, I must apologize Verna. I was merely looking for some parts for my latest device, and I was told you could find them here at the beach..." The mystery head turned out to be MAGES.. She lifted herself out of the sand, though how she managed to get in from below was beyond Verna. She wore a bikini-style version of her usual coat, and was lacking her hat. Verna thought the swimsuit looked really good on her.

"Hello, MAGES., that's a very nice swimsuit you have on." And apparently, so did Vert. Chika said nothing and was still giving her a rub, and it didn't look like she would be taking her hands off of her any time soon.

"Th-Thank you, Goddess of Green, I made it myself..." MAGES. grew a little embarrassed at the compliment; the truth behind it was that she wasn't used to exposing a lot of skin like this. She didn't know how 5pb did it.

"Wow-wee! Looking sexy, Magey!" A voice that MAGES. hoped with all her might that she wouldn't hear was heard. A whistling Neptune walked up to her, with Plutia holding her hand and Noire seething in the background.

MAGES. blushed at Neptune's painfully blunt comment. "P-Please refrain from saying such comments out loud, Goddess of Purple..."

"Daw, don't be so modest, Magey! Didn'tcha know that all the magic ladies these days flaunt their good stuff?" Great, now she was in the mood again. This is _exactly_ what MAGES. always feared whenever she came in contact with Neptune. Fortunately for the Mad Magician, Plutia silenced her Planeptunian friend from saying anything else, via a hand over her mouth. MAGES. would be forever grateful.

"Sooooo, what brings you here Magey?" asked Plutia while she restricted Neptune's voice.

MAGES. answered with a nod. "Ah, well I am actually working at this beach as a Lifeguard, because I am need of some money. This is also a popular place for item gathering, which is what I was doing prior. Again, I am sorry, Verna."

"M-Mm..." Verna grieved over her fallen sandcastle, while Rom comforted her.

"Pardon me, MAGES.," began Vert, "but I couldn't help but hear that you were the lifeguard on duty, _no..._?" Vert gave the magician a look most unpleasant. She shifted from looking at her than at her wounded sister.

Turned out MAGES. had one more thing to feel sorry for, but before she could apologize for that, Plutia drawled, "Oooooooh, a Lifeguard? That sounds soooooo cool!"

"It's been rather lackluster for the most part..." replied the scientific magician, feeling Vert metaphorically burn her stare into her soul. "M-Most of the time I am just walking around waiting for something to happen, which is why I resorted to item gathering." MAGES. gave Verna a sheepish apologetic look. Verna grumbled as she tried to restore her sand castle. That seemed to be all the little girl was unhappy about, bless her heart. "Though, many people have been staring at me as I go about my business. I-Is there something on my face? I am quite concerned..."

Plutia merely smiled. Looks like someone didn't know about their appeal to others.

'W-Why are you smiling?"

"Noooooo reason..."

MAGES. blushed again. "A-Anyway, I must take my leave. M-Marvelous has been staring at me rather oddly..." The embarrassed magician left, along with Nep and Plutia. And Noire, when they turned around and saw her glaring.

"Hmhm, it seems this beach is working its magic effectively..." Vert giggled.

It wasn't that hard to notice, even to little Verna, that a lot of people seemed, well..., together. Neptune and Plutia were cuddling with each other (with a jealous Noire, obviously). Blanc and Kei were sharing a chair, with Kei appearing to be on Blanc's lap while she read a book. Nepgear and Uni looked a lot closer than usual, with the latter beet red. Cave had taken 5pb with her backstage, but Verna had no idea what they could possibly do behind there, bless her innocence. Even MarvelousAQL was staring at MAGES. in a goofy way, but she didn't seem to notice. It's like this beach was made for love, unlike it's companion location: Breakup Pier.

Verna wasn't immune to the beach's power either. Rom had been affectionate towards her the whole time, and it was downright impossible not to notice. Unfortunately, Verna had her sights set on Cave. This bothered Rom greatly, but she never voiced it.

Overall, the beach was just oozing with love. Verna had only just gotten what love actually meant, so she was hoping she would get a kiss from Cave before she had to go home. Sadly for her, Cave and Lyrica were dealing with... other matters backstage. Again, bless her innocence.

 **A long time later...**

It was almost nighttime. The concert had seemed to drain everyone of the energy the had when they first arrived, including the performer. 5pb was half sleepwalking, with Cave supporting her by holding her waist. Plutia did fall asleep, which prompted Purple Heart to give her another piggy back ride. Though this time, she didn't seem to mind. Noire was stomping behind them, totally not jealous. Seriously, she so totally wasn't! Blanc and Kei were holding hands, just the tiniest of blushes on their cheeks, with content looks on their faces. Nepgear and Uni were close, though it was clear neither had made a move. Otherwise, Gear would be carrying Uni bridal style. That's what Marvelous was doing on her end, for MAGES. had fallen asleep as well.

"Hee hee, I get to sneak in a line in this whole chapter." She still had that goofy expression as she held the magician close.

The twins were being guided by Mina, quite sleepy as well. As for Verna, she was being carried by Chika, ready to doze off.

"Did you have a good time Verna?" asked Vert, her worries pushed aside.

"Mm-hm..." Verna nodded lazily. Except for that part where the jellyfish attacked, but there was no reason to bring that up.

"I'm glad, we should do this again sometime." said Chika, ruffling her passenger's head affectionately.

"That would be lovely." Vert agreed.

"Yeah..." Verna agreed sleepily. A few seconds later, she was out cold.

With that settled, there was no possible way to ruin this moment for Vert...

"... Can we settle this day with a kiss darling~?"

"No, Chika..."

"Aw..."

Well, a girl could dream.


	22. Chapter 22

The trip to the beach could have been...better, for lack of a better word. Verna had been nothing short of miserable ever since she was stung by that jellyfish, and Vert had been feeling bad ever since. Her little sister had been restricted to the bed since yesterday, and even though Verna had been making the best out of a bad situation, Vert still felt guilty.

Rom had been there for her though, so that eased up some of Vert's worries. Right now, Rom was **feeding** Verna.

"H-Here comes the Dorito, Verna!"

"Yay! _munch munch_ " Verna ate the Dorito with delight. "Thanks Rom, you're the best!"

"E-Ehehe, t-thanks Verna..." Rom blushed.

Ram was there too, glowering silently in the background. Where one twin went, the other twin followed..., unfortunately.

"Ram? Dont'cha wanna sit on the bed? My favorite anime is starting..." Despite her behavior, Verna offered Ram a spot at her left, where Rom was seated at Verna's right. It was like a reversal of when Verna accidently poisoned them.

"Hmph!" The totally not jealous Ram turned her head in defiance.

Rom rolled her eyes, happily moving closer to Verna's side. The tiny blonde offered her Doritos, while she was chugging down a bottle of Mountain Dew that was almost as big as her. Rom accepted them.

"...Mm..." Ram looked back towards the duo. A part of her wanted to suck it up and join them, but her so-not-jealousy over Rom spending so much time with Verna kept her seated in the same spot. It was totally unfair!

"How are you three doing?" Vert had entered her sister's room then, bringing a refill on Verna's already ridiculously large supply of snacks. Vert had been thankful that Rom and Ram, mostly Rom, had been with Verna in her time of need. Even though she put on a brave face, the Leanbox CPU knew that her sister was still hurting, even if she was devouring most of the junk food present.

"Yuri Yuru is starting!" said the littlest Candidate excitedly. Her eyes had taken the form of hearts.

Even though Rom didn't have an intense love for Yuri like Verna had, she'd be willing to watch this 'Yuri Yuru' if it made her happy.

Ram just glowered again, channeling her inner Blanc.

"I'm glad you're all enjoying yourselves." _'Almost all of you...'_ Vert added mentally, glancing at Ram. She then looked at Verna's too-big T.V., completely lost over what was happening on the screen.

"The main character's friends are trying to help her find her outstanding qualities..." Rom answered Vert's unspoken wondering. The CPU stared at Rom, flabbergasted. "W-What?"

"... nothing..." Vert was left with wide eyes, silently wondering if Rom could read minds...

"Maybe..." And cue Vert comically faceplanting at Rom's answer.

Verna giggled at Vert's antics, and went back to watching the anime. Though she wouldn't say it, the main character's severe lack of outstanding or interesting qualities, effectively making her a boring main character, reminded her a lot of Nepgear.

"How is your leg, Verna?" Vert asked after recovering from her shock, a bit scared of Rom now.

"I don't even feel it..." assured Verna, but Vert knew she was lying. She watched as the tiny blonde reached for the lotion and began rubbing it on her exposed leg, which was significantly redder than the rest of her body, and saw her wince when she applied said lotion. "I-It hurts if I put pressure on it though..."

Vert sighed in misery. She would have to make this up to Verna somehow. "Do let me know when it starts hurting again Verna..."

"I-I will..." Verna nodded.

Vert nodded back, and left the three alone. Verna and Rom enjoyed the anime playing on screen, while Ram glared at the two the whole time...

Verna wondered if her bad luck had increased. That would certainly explain her jellyfish sting, but that was the least of her problems right now.

* * *

"Oh, how about this, Verna? How about we visit someplace you have never visited before...?"

That unexpected question started up a little trip that Verna and her big sister were currently on... Vert decided that the best way to make it up to Verna for the beach trip gone wrong, was a trip to the Ultradimension.

Vert had told her that it was because she wanted Verna to experience a different world first hand, and her intentions seemed pure enough..., but on the way out the little sister heard Vert mutter something about **Vintage Naked Butlers** on the way out, so maybe this wasn't completely for her enjoyment. Verna had no idea what the Ultradimension was though; the only thing she heard about it was that Plutia was from there, so she was interested enough to go with her sister...

"Whooooa! This is soooo cooool!" Exiting the portal, Verna was ecstatic to see a completely different, yet same-y looking world beneath them. Yes, beneath them, as Green Heart had flown into the Ultradimension from high up, carrying the younger sister in her arms.

"I'm glad to hear your elation, Verna!" yelled Green Heart, slowing down just a bit... "Are you ready for our descent?"

Verna nodded fervently. "Yuh-huh! I'm ready!"

With hearing Verna's confirmation, Vert held her little package tightly, before she sped off like a jet towards the other Planeptune.

"Wheeeeeee!"

Unfortunately, that was the most fun Verna would get to have on this trip, with the troubles starting shortly after they landed...

"This place looks so future-y!" chirped the Candidate, marveling at the alternate Nation's similar, yet different take on its buildings with their pointy architecture. Despite a lingering bit of pain and redness, Verna had stressed her willingness to walk on her own, her sister relenting in the face of cuteness pleading.

"In some ways, this Planeptune looks even more futuristic then our own, Verna." Vert admitted, keeping her good mood flowing. "If anything, I applaud how sleek and simple it all looks. This reminds me, should I go ahead and develop a slimmer version of the One console, as I did the console before... it...? Wait, what?!"

The Leanbox sisters happened upon a hectic venue, where many people were crowding around a game store in what looked like an anxious wait. Vert paled as she put two and two together.

"W-Well now, I don't appear to be alone in my desire to purchase my Butl- Um..." Vert realized what she was about to say, stifling her speech, though not in time to stop Verna from questioning her. She cleared her throat. "Ahem, right, what I meant to say was-"

 **FR-FR-FR-FR...!**

Suddenly, the sounds of a helicopter appearing close by drowned everything out, the vehicle coming in for a landing right on the game store. A person dressed in something akin to a suit of riot armor stepped off, holding a large parcel in their hands. Another similarly dressed person swiftly cut the box open at the top, before reaching in and pulling out their delivery for all to see.

Butlers were serious business.

 _"THOSE BUTLERS SHALL BE MINE!"_ Vert yelled, as she charged into the crazed throng of butler connoisseurs. However...

"S-Sis, wait!" And that leads us to a rather awful problem: Verna had been left alone, and the crowd was only getting worse by the second. She tried patiently waiting for it all to die down so she could look for her big sister, but the situation took its toll on little Verna, as her lips began quivering and her eyes beginning to tear up.

"S-Sis..., w-where are y-you...? Sis...! W-waaaah..." Verna sniffled, starting to cry now.

"Hm? Is someone calling out for me...?" Vert calmly walked out of the mayhem, carrying a bag filled with the latest in cyber-butler gaming. "I could have sworn I heard someone calling out for me-"

"S-Sis!" An elated Verna ran up to Vert and wrapped her arms around her, crying into her legs. "I-I've been looking f-for you everywhere!"

"E-Eh? What are you...?" The blonde CPU titled her head, confused as to who this little girl was. "I'm sorry, what did you say...? Who are you?"

"W-Wha?" Verna was equally as confused. "I-It's me..., Verna! Y-You're little sister! I-I lost you when we were shopping f-for that BL game y-you wanted... Hm? D-Did you get some new clothes...?"

For some reason, her sister was dressed in something different than her casual white-and-green attire, looking more like a black-and-green business lady to Verna. This was certainly Vert, right...? Well...

"M-My little sister...?! What are you... I... What?" Vert had to take a moment to register that this girl in front of her, one that could very well be passed off as her little sister... was saying that they were sisters. _'Did... Did my Shares rise to unexpected levels, creating this... Verna...?! Is this for real?!'_ Something within her then sparked to life, a rush of euphoria as she realized that her dreams and wishes for a little sister had apparently come true...! She conveniently left out the fact that Verna spoke like they were in the middle of doing something, but never mind that, it was time to make her new sister a happy sister!

Putting on a joyful smile, Vert hugged Verna tightly into her bosom! "Oh, of course! How could you run off the way you did, Verna~? I was so worried!" she spoke, like she knew what was going on.

"I-I'm sorry..., t-the crowd was so big!" Verna started sniffling again. "Y-You're not mad, a-are you?"

"Of course not! I could never be mad with you, my sweet Verna~! L-Let's go home!" With that, Vert took her new little sister into her arms and began heading off back home to Leanbox..., which involved her transforming in order to fly. Uh oh.

"U-Uh... d-did you get a new outfit for this too? And I-I thought our house was t-that way..." She pointed back in the direction of the portal.

"Er, I decided to buy some new Processor Parts along the way...?" she explained. Something about how Verna was addressing her didn't sit right, like she expected something else from her. In fact, why did Vert just lie about her outfit's origins? No matter, there was a sister to spoil. "A-And, I do know the way back home, there's no need for you to worry, my dear sister."

"O-Oh... Okay..." Verna, being the naive 5 year old, bought this.

With that, Vert made her way back to her Basilicom, where Leanbox didn't look like Leanbox to Verna's eyes...

"We're home~!"

"... T-This looks different from home..." Verna muttered, pensive about her unfamiliar surroundings.

"What are you talking about? This has always been our home...!" The Ultradimension Vert was starting to get the feeling that Verna wasn't actually her sister. But admitting that would be such a blow to her ego, as well as potentially heartbreaking to them both, so she decided to make Verna hers! She brought the little bundle into the kitchen, where she was sure to win her heart through her stomach! "Verna, was there something you wanted me to make for your dinner?"

"C-Can we have the Dorito Tacos you started making? T-Those are super good..." Verna just assumed that her sister renovated at some point while they were "gone", and let it slide. Right now, her belly was beckoning for food!

Vert went wide at the mention of such a thing. She never heard of such tacos, and they sounded scary to her. "Uh, s-sure! I will get right on it! Er..." She began fumbling around every which way in the kitchen, with no idea how to even make the dish. All the while, Vert never said that Verna had to stay put...

Eventually, Verna did a quick skim of the house, wondering what changed, if anything. When she came back to the kitchen, her "sister" had a bit of a semblance as to how to make these Dorito Tacos.

"S-Sis...?" Verna started, tugging at her sis's skirt.

"Y-Yes?" A terrified Vert asked.

"Where's Miss Chika? W-Why isn't her room here? O-Or my room!? A-And what's with all this BL lying around? A-And why do you have a Miss Nepgear body pillow!? W-With stains!"

"Uh..., I r-remodeled a lot of things, V-Verna!" Vert explained. Who was Chika again? "For one, Ch-Chika is currently out on b-business, and you will sleep with me in my room from now on!" Vert lightly chuckled, making something that looked like a bunch of nacho cheese chips mashed together into a taco shell. No, it did not look like it would in real life; it's literally all mashed together.

Verna's shoulders slumped when she realized that Chika was gone, but then she looked at what her "sister" had made. "S-Sis...you made it wrong..."

"Er, of course!" Vert nonchalantly tossed the "taco shell" aside. "I was just so excited to be home that I... forgot how to make them momentarily." Then, a bright idea came to her head. "Verna, would you like to make the tacos with your dear sister~?"

"Sure!" Grabbing a chair, Verna made sure she was at least chest level with her "sister" and got to work. Vert did her best to feign knowing what she was doing, as her and Verna got together to make the dish. Soon enough, after several episodes' worth of drama, the deed was done, and now Vert knew the recipe for future reference!

"All done~! Mmm~." Verna licked her lips. "This looks soooo good~"

"Let us dig in!" Vert took a bite of the cheesy, crunchy, beefy food, and was surprised by how well everything meshed together! "My, this tastes wonderful! B-But of course, anything tastes better when it's made by a pair of loving sisters!"

"Mm~! You said it sis~!" Verna leaned against her "sister's side in a loving manner. After enjoying their homemade junk food, Vert left the dishes in the sink for later. "How about we retire to our room for the day? There is nothing pressing for me to do, so I will devote all my time to you, Verna!"

Verna yawned. "Y-Yeah, I'm feeling sleepy..." Verna then lifted her arms up, her eyes getting droopy. "C-Carry me..., please..."

Vert did so with delight, carrying her "sister" to their room and setting them both in bed. She felt she didn't need to log into 4GO today with this good news..., though that was four hours of experience and grinding wasted. Ah well, the fact that she now has a sister is more than enough for her! "Good night, Verna~."

"Good night sis~." Verna snuggled close to her. "I love you..."

 **THE NEXT DAY...**

Vert laid soundly asleep, with dreams of what to do with her new sister occupying her head...

"H-Hey sis...?" Verna lightly shook her "sister" awake. She had apparently woken up at some point and was now standing at Vert's bedside.

"Hm...? What is it, Verrrrna...?" She couldn't help but draw out her sister's name while mumbling.

"W-Why are all the video games and stuff so... o-old?"

"Ehh, they're not ollld... They're, mm, retro...!" Vert almost sounded like Plutia with how she drawled.

"B-But..., it all looks like from the last generation! E-Even the stuff on TV looks old! _W-What's Ren And Stimpy...!?_ " Verna shuddered.

From hearing Verna's rising concern, did Vert start to take waking up seriously. "Uh, I... wanted to enact a brief period of celeb-b-bration of the oldies here in Leanbox...!" she answered, poorly as usual.

"U-Uh..., alright..." Verna seemed to accept that. "B-But one more thing..."

"Yes...?" Vert was now at least sitting up.

 _ **"WHERE'S ALL MY YURI!?"**_ Verna's sudden shout jolted her sister's senses!

Vert's eyes widened, shouting back, "Yuri?! I don't have any of that in my home! Eep...!" She spoke out of turn, she realized, and that was baaaaaaaaa-

 **CRASH!**

-aaaaad. Wait, who was...

"RETURN MY LITTLE SISTER AT ONCE!" The Hyperdimension's Vert had come crashing in through the opposite wall, furious!

"W-What the!?" Verna's eyes widened. "S-Sis!? B-B-But you're r-right here!" Verna pointed to Ultra Vert, then back to her Vert, and so forth.

Meanwhile the Ultradimension's Vert just paled with the destruction of her home and boy's-love memorabilia, though she spurred into action when she realized she needed to do something. "Uh...! Umm... I-Impostor!" Ultra Vert pointed to Hyper Vert like she was the one in the right, and not the one in white. "How dare you charge into my Basilicom proclaiming my sister's-"

Hyper Vert grimaced, immediately showing a picture of her and Verna enjoying time on the computer. Well, Verna was the one to enjoy it, since a Yuri AMV was on that screen, but still.

Verna blinked, while the alternate Vert stuttered, "W-Wha... Th-That matters not, you faker!" Ultra Vert just brought her arms around her "sister" in a protective hold. "You will never have her! Verna is MY sister!" She then accessed HDD, back in black, and ready to go lengths for her "sister"!

"She is MY sister! Don't delude yourself any further, other me!" yelled Hyper Vert, activating HDD as well and floating just a bit higher than her other self's standing posture.

"S-Say what?" Verna was so confused.

Ultra Vert covered Verna's ears for a bit, saying, "Your sister has to go and teach this lookalike a lesson~!" With that, she let her "sister" go, and made her way to the other Vert's height, puffing up her large chest in a show of superiority. "She is MY sister!"

"No, she is MINE and mine alone!" Hyper Vert matched the breast docking, not wanting to lose!

"U-Uh..." At this point, Verna didn't know whether to stop this or get some Doritos...

"Why not just let Verna choose her sister then?" asked the Ultra Vert.

The alternate Vert turned and was about to ask this of Verna, when Hyper Vert countered with, "You can have Peashy if you want a sister, but I won't compromise with Verna!"

"W-Who's Peashy...?" asked a blank-eyed Verna.

"See?!" shouted Verna's actual sister. "Verna is my sister, since this isn't her dimension!"

"She can be my sister along with Peashy here!" argued the other sister.

While they bickered and bickered, a surprising, yet familiar face decided to make herself known. From the sidelines, Chika Hakozaki wasn't sure whether or not to interfere... Oh of course she will! "I'll gladly take Verna's place for the other Vert if it means you love me more, my lovely Vert~!"

"Not now, Chika!"

"Wait, is that who Chika is?"

"H-Hi, Miss Chika!" Verna was quick to greet the Oracle, but then... "W-Wait..., I'm in another dimension!?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, that's a thing." the Oracle shrugged, yet keeping her smile on. She had to be the sensible one here. "That's what the Ultradimension is: another dimension that's kind of like ours, except different, as I'm sure you've gathered."

Meanwhile, the two Verts began flinging petty insults at one another.

"Thieving trollop!"

"Lying lunatic!"

"O-Oh boy..." Verna sweatdropped, a rarity.

"Oh boy. You've got that right, kiddo." Chika rubbed Verna's head affectionately. "There's even CPUs like Vert here too, looking the same as ever, though if I recall, Neptune is a weird case. I wouldn't think too much on it though, especially for your young mind. If you have any questions, I'm all ears, Verna."

"Huge-breasted harlot!"

"Chest-engorged charlatan!"

Hearing that Chika was willing to help her understand relieved Verna's worries, even when her sister(s) currently refused to do so. "U-Uh..., why did, er, 'that' sis kidnap me...? D-Don't I exist here, too?"

Chika pursed her brow and did some shallow thinking. "Er, no. This is what I meant by weird cases, Verna. No one here in the Ultradimension has a sister of their own; the Candidates don't exist, at least not yet, or somehow living different lives. I think the other Vert here wanted you for her own, and why wouldn't she? You're just so adorable~!"

"YOU ARE BEING SO UNFAIR! LET ME HAVE HER!"

"YOU ARE THE ONE WHO'S UNFAIR! YOU TOOK HER!"

"I-I don't know whether to feel sad or disturbed..." muttered Verna, slightly saddened.

"At this rate, they're going to tire themselves out..." Chika sighed. "I wished they were fighting over me..."

Verna gave Chika a pat, feeling sorry for her. "I-If it helps..., I-I really like you..."

"Aw, thank you, Verna, but what I want from Vert is something you're too young to understand. I think."

"O-Oh..., okay..." Chika did the work her Vert was supposed to, picking up Verna to take her home. "Don't worry, your sister will come back when she's done being... her. Say bye-bye, Verna!"

"B-Bye sis...es!"

"Goodbye, Verna~!"

"Farewell, Verna~!"

They both then turned back to one another, bitter as ever.

"Don't say farewell to MY little sister!"

"I can say it since she's MY little sister!"

"Ah Vert, never change~." Chika muttered dreamily.

Verna just hoped that her sister didn't come home with battle scars... Whichever one came home.

"You're rooting for the one in white, Verna!" exclaimed Chika, as she just walked her way out with a patient adult Histoire waiting for them. The tome sighed, silently wondering how it all came to this. "As for me," continued the Oracle of Green, "I guess I want my Vert over the other one, though if I can have both...~."

"O-Okay..." That was all that Verna had to say on the matter, as the three of them then left via a convenient portal opened by their Histoire, both Verts wouldn't stop until the sun had long left them...


	23. Chapter 23

To say Verna was anxious would have been the understatement of the entire existence of the Universe. Ever since she arrived home, Verna had been worrying sick about her sister. She was wearing a groove in the floor with all her pacing, and when she wasn't pacing she was tapping her foot, or eating nervously. She even tried calling her sister with her UPhone (A gift from MAGES.), but she got no answer. That only doubled Verna's already frantic worrying.

"Uh, Verna?" Chika had been trying, unsuccessfully, to calm Verna down. Sure, she was nervous as well, but she knew Vert could take care of herself. "I know you're worried, but it looks like you're on the verge of a panic attack..." And she probably was too.

"H-How come sis isn't home yet? I-It's been an hour!" Verna seemingly ignored Chika and continued her panicked pacing. Chika sighed.

"Look Verna, I'm worried too, but it's not gonna help either of us if you end up having a nervous breakdown..." Chika grabbed Verna by her tiny shoulders, giving her a stern look. "Do you think Vert would want to see you like this?"

Verna looked down at her feet. "N-No..."

Chika's expression turned sympathetic. "I know how you feel kid, wondering if Vert's okay, or if she's ever gonna come home..." Chika reluctantly recalled the ASIC days, and shuddered. Verna caught that. "And I know it's probably worse for you because she's your sister, but Vert knows how to take care of herself. Well, most of the time..." The Oracle also recalled the many, many times Vert had failed to care for her health thanks to... certain things...

The little Candidate nodded, some traces of worry still apparent on her face. "I-I don't want anything bad to happen to sis..."

"Neither do I, kid, but I'm sure Vert will walk away from this one."

As if to prove her point, the door opened then. Verna could tell from the head of green hair and white bodysuit that this was her sister.

"SIS!" Verna ran up to her, wrapping herself around her legs.

" _Urk!_ N-Not so hard, Verna..."

Verna looked up towards her sister, and realized she was covered in more than a few scars and bruises. "S-Sis!?" Verna grew worried again.

"Dearest, what happened to you!?" And so did Chika.

Undoing her transformation, Vert sighed and leaned into Chika. "Myself and I came to...disagreements, but I assure you I am well..."

"W-What about other sis?" Verna asked.

" **I** am well..." Vert repeated.

Verna winced. Did her other sister deserve whatever her real sister had done to her? Verna didn't think so.

"I-I'll run a bath, just... don't make any sudden movements..." Chika ran to the bathroom.

Vert nodded, and winced in pain at the action. She saw Verna's downcast expression, and Vert felt she could guess what it was about.

"Verna, do you feel bad for the other me...?" asked the older sister, leaning down and putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Y-Yeah..." Verna mumbled, looking sad.

Vert sighed. "I see... I can tell it's because she is still me, is that right?"

Verna nodded. "I-I don't like it when you're upset sis... a-and we did have a nice time..."

"Oh my, I figured this would be the case." Vert then picked Verna up by under her arms, smiling warmly at her. "You are so sensitive for your age, Verna! If you want the other Vert to feel better, then tomorrow, we will do just that!"

"R-Really?"

"Only if you give your sister a kiss!" Vert leaned her left cheek in.

Verna did just that. "Mwah!"

"Your wish is granted!"

"Yay!" A picture of a happy, battle-scarred family could be taken now with no consequences, and despite Chika wanting to do so, she said, "Vert, you are not going to bathe by yourself in this state! Come on, we can all go in and make sure you're all right!"

"Uh, s-sure, if you want! Verna?"

"Sure!" Indeed, they took a bath together, taking care not to give Vert's wounds any further discomfort. If it weren't for Verna's presence, though, then nothing would have stopped the Oracle for putting a move on Vert. Not that this would have even been an option if it was just Chika.

 **THE NEXT DAY**

Vert was carrying her sister as she flew high in the Ultradimension's sky, heading for Leanbox.

"Verna, how are you feeling?!"

"W-Woozy..." Verna grumbled as she looked down, then shut her eyes tight. This was a far cry from the first time she had flown above the other dimension...

"I am sorry, Verna... Thankfully, we are close, so hang on!" Green Heart then descended, going right into the urban setting known as the other Leanbox. They landed right on a balcony belonging to the Basilicom's living quarters, namely, the other Vert's home.

As soon as Green Heart slackened her grip, Verna jumped off and laid down on the ground, giving it a metaphorical hug. "I-I love you so..."

Vert knocked on the windowed door. "Hello? Vert, are you there...? Heavens, hearing my own name being directed at someone else never fails to be surprising, hmhm."

No response.

"O-Other sis? A-Are you home?" Verna knocked as well, still to no response.

"I could have sworn I placed a call in earlier today...!" Vert knocked even harder..., then the whole door fell down like a big old domino. "Uh..., I didn't do it."

Verna gave her sister a look, as if she were scolding her. "Sis..." To be fair, it went down in such a pitiful manner, suggesting that perhaps it wasn't maintained. Of course, she was still in HDD, so perhaps she didn't know her own strength...?

But the power of Verna was never to be underestimated, as Vert apologized. "I am sorry..."

With that, Vert kept HDD on as she floated inside... This was the place, but it all looked so unlit, so quiet..., save for the glowing desktop with someone hunched over it like some sort of cave troll.

"No, no, no, no, NO! I am going to be outbid once more...!"

Yeah, beneath all this darkness was indeed the other Vert's main office and bedroom for sure, but she was very, very distracted in front of her computer.

"Other sis...?" Verna was curious about what was going on, when the other Vert threw her arms up in joy.

"HA! I have won this bidding battle, and I will win the bidding war! The Nepgeardam Special Helmet is now mine!" Ultra Vert was apparently on 4 Goddesses Online, having just won an in-game auction for some sort of item.

"Other Vert...?"

"Nepgeardam...?"

"Huh...? Who's- **WAH!** " Ultra Vert jolted in shock by the sudden appearance of the other Vert and her sister. "Y-You scared me! What is the meaning of this, why are you here in my room?!"

Vert pointed to the broken door, which she looked sorry for. "I _did_ call earlier, remember? You're still in a nightgown, for goodness' sake!"

"D-Did you stay up all night!?" asked a worried Verna.

"N-No, no I didn't!" Ultra Vert said with some suspicion.

"Could you clean yourself up please, so you can properly spend time with my... _our_ sister?" asked Hyper Vert. At the sound of hearing that last part, though, the other Vert went wide-eyed.

"H-Hold on, you mean to say-"

 _"Get dressed!"_

The Ultradimension Vert scrambled all around to get some clothes, almost at the door when she stopped and said... "B-But, now I must bid on the Nepgeardam Special Armor...!"

 **"NOW!"**

The other Vert scrambled out of there.

Verna sighed. Sometimes she felt like she was the most mature one here...

Her sister sighed as well, coming out of her HDD as she looked to Verna. "I imagine you have many questions about this arrangement or of this world, Verna. If there is anything you need me to clarify for you, don't hesitate in asking."

"Okay..." Verna got to thinking, and came up with something almost immediately. "What's a Nepgeardam?"

"Er... Right, I can answer this one...! Um..." Vert sheepishly scratched her face, knowing what it was, but before she would answer, she decided to do a thing or two for the other Vert... A few clicks and menus, some loading and log-in trickery, and soon Ultra Vert's 4GO character was decked out in said Special Armor set. "There we are, now she needn't worry about bidding, since I have gifted her one of my many spare sets. A-Anyway..." She then pulled up a Nepedia article, showing the real deal. "This is Nepgeardam. It is a creation of Nepgear's, and is a cute little robot! Bit of an awkward face though, as you can see."

Verna shuddered; it's oval-shaped eyes and square mouth were unnerving.

"Funny thing, I had already acquired the armor sets this morning." the older sister added. "I don't know why 4GO is somehow the same across dimensions..."

 **"I HAVE RETURNED...!"** The other Vert came stumbling in, all dressed up!

"H-Hi, Other sis..." Verna gave her alternate sister a wave.

Ultra Vert waved back, bashfully. "Hello...! I apologize for what you may have seen... I get rather absorbed in 4GO, as well as some other stuf- N-Never mind."

"No matter. Verna, is there something you wanted to do with us sisters of yours~?"

"I-I wouldn't mind playing a game...o-or watch some anime...I just wanted to spend time with you..."

"W-Well, we'll have to wait about computer games or anime..." Ultra Vert's eyes shifted from side to side, probably about the contents of her computer. And her anime. "But, we do have a Greenbox installed downstairs!"

"T-That sounds nice..." Verna's adorableness knows no bounds! Both Verts swelled with joy as they led her down to the living room, where the console sat ready for them!

"I have games such as Hoop: Combat Adapted and Frenzy Fuzion for you to play!" The Ultradimension Vert held up plenty of games in her hands. "What will you play with us?"

"Hoop looks really cool..." muttered the Candidate.

"It's a classic game back home, Verna." said the related Vert. "In fact, haven't you played the sequels?"

"It doesn't matter; we can have fun all the same!" the other one exclaimed, loading in the FPS with a bit of an edge to her smiling face.

"T-Those were only with Uni, a-and I never won..." Verna looked saddened, because Uni was a gun nut both in and out of real life.

"Well, we are both out of practice..." Hyper Vert nudged the other one in a meaningfully manner. "... so we will both give an equal challenge!"

"Y-Yes, that's right...!" The other Vert agreed, nodding her head.

With that, they got to playing the game. Nothing major, just a simple deathmatch up to a certain number of player kills.

"You won't be able to get me from THAT position, other me!" Hyper Vert said as her soldier was behind a wall on an incline.

"Ha, my own position is unassailable!" Ultra Vert was behind a cornered barricade.

Unbeknownst to them, Verna (equipped with a 99H sniper rifle) traveled to quite the high place, and scanned her surroundings... The two Verts were busy shooting down their regenerating shields to the red. Verna grinned, and aimed inconspicuously at her Ultra sister... **BANG!** And there goes her character!

"YIPE!" Ultra Vert could only gasp in horror as her soldier ragdolled!

 **BANG!**

Followed by another! "OH NO!" Hyper Vert didn't have much time to react as she too had fallen!

"That's two for you, sister...," began the Ultradimension's Vert, "but it's up to 10...! Think you can handle it, Verna...?!"

Verna only smiled innocently. "Bring it..."

"Shots fired!" yelled the related Vert, clever as she brought an plasma pistol to the other's position!

"What?! Grr, have a taste of this!" The other threw a grenade..., only for it to blow up in her face! "Verna!"

"Teehee!" The littlest Leanboxer had shot it out in her hand.

Eventually, after many heated standoffs, shootouts, and all-around bungling, the two Verts lost to Verna, 10-8-8. Yeah, they couldn't even beat each other...

"I lost..."

"How could I lose...?"

Verna smiled, triumphant. "I win..."

Both Verts sighed. "Well, no beating around the bush." said the alternate Vert. "We have lost. but, the night is still young, Verna, with many more games to play!"

Verna raised a dainty fist, determined. "Bring. It. On..."

From then on, the day went by quickly, from the three playing a futuristic party game, to all of them failing miserably at pro skateboarding. "H-How can you skateboard on roof's like- AH I FELL!"

"I don't understand the rules of this frenzy fusion minigame! So many colors!"

Heck, they even had a point where Verna found an unusual game to admit to owning... "What's Something... Something of the 99 Dragons...?"

Ultra Vert immediately snatched the game from Verna's hands. "Nothing but frustration, Verna. We shall not play it."

"Aw..."

Nevertheless, the day went well!

"Well, that went well!" parroted Vert. Either one, really, did it matter?

"Y-Yeaaaah..." Verna felt tired, as her droopy eyes and Plutia-like tone would imply.

"Well, it looks like Verna is tired." said Hyper Vert, catching Verna in a hug. "It's time for her to go to sleep..."

Ultra Vert smiled. "Of course."

"Mm..." Verna didn't really respond, choosing to just fall in the embrace of her Hyper sister, falling asleep shortly after. Hyper Vert smiled, cradling her sleeping sister.

"She is so adorable, especially when she's sleeping...~" admired Ultra Vert.

"Too adorable, I might say, but that's one of the reasons why I love her..." Hyper Vert said in an affectionate tone, before carefully lifting herself up from her seat. "Since I don't want to wake Verna, we will have to stay here for the night."

"Eh?" Ultra Vert looked at her other self curiously. "D-Do you mean that...?"

Hyper Vert nodded. "Yes, you can continue seeing Verna. She seems very fond of you."

If Hyper Vert wasn't holding Verna, Ultra Vert would have hugged all the jiggle out of her. She settled for smiling instead. "T-Thank you, y-you have no idea how much this means to me..."

"You're welcome." HD Vert felt her eyes getting heavy on her. "Now I do believe it's time for bed..."

"Of course... Ahhh..." UD Vert yawned.

Together, in one bed, with Verna laying in between them, the extended Leanbox family drifted off into sleep.


	24. Chapter 24

"Sis, can you show me how to transform?"

Verna's innocent-in-nature question came out of nowhere for Vert. One minute she was enjoying a nice evening of MMO-ing (which she had spent a lot less time on after Verna was born), and the next she was faced with her little sister asking something that someone her age should not be asking.

"Eh? Transformation..., w-well... How should I go about this..."

Verna was standing there, smiling like a lowercase "v" while waiting for her sisters response.

"It's not something I can teach..., but something I could only help you along to..." Vert explained.

"Aw..." Verna slumped, having some comical tears hanging off her eyes with her light disappointment.

Vert exhales, kneeling down to Verna's level as she began speaking. "Listen to me well, Verna... Transforming, activating Hard Drive Divinity..., is not a subject to take lightly. I must protest your curiosity into the matter."

"Protest...?" The little blonde frowns lightly. "B-But why...?"

"Because when you are capable of ascending like the rest of us, it will not only solidify your status as the CPU Candidate of Leanbox, but also grant and burden you with responsibilities you have not asked for! Much less ones you have shown to be ready for..." Vert looks away, downcast. "You're so young, yet... Do you even know what it is you're asking for, Verna...?"

"To become a real Candidate?" Verna earnestly guesses.

To this, Vert sighs, frowning as she turns back towards her sister. "To put yourself in danger..."

"Danger?"

"You would have to fight..., when you haven't even-"

"Pow pow!" She punched the air in an excited, joking manner.

Vert couldn't help but at least grin at her sister's childlike innocence. The elder sister wanted nothing more than to protect her little Verna, and while she hadn't seen anything that could prove that Verna could even protect herself, there was something within this girl... Vert had a hunch. "Well, I'm glad that you find the subject amusing, Verna, though as I've said before, this is a subject that I'm afraid I have long forgotten to pass down any sort of teaching for..."

"Could Miss Nepgear and the others teach me? They're Candydates too... I-I wanna know so badly...!" Verna had determination in her eyes, not a hint of hesitation in her features. Her determined face was filled with determination! Wait, what...

"I see..." Vert could see that very same determination in the little marshmallow of a girl. "Hm, I wonder when you've started to feel this way... Perhaps you had started to grow while I insisted on doting on you, Verna...!"

"Doting? ovo" There was that cute, emoticon-like face again. "What's that?"

The Goddess gives a cheeky grin. "Hmhm, that means: to give your undivided, caring attention, Verna."

Verna giggled, feeling her sister's love. She would keep pushing for the subject at hand, however. "S-Sis, how does HDD work?"

"Let me explain something Verna." Vert began. "CPUs and CPU Candidates are different in a few ways."

Verna looked at her sister with enamored eyes, like a student listening to a wise teacher.

"The biggest difference would be age, though that tends to vary among us. You've seen how Nepgear looks like the older sister..."

"And acts like one too..."

Vert chuckles at Verna's quip. "Certainly. Another important thing to note is power. CPUs are more than a few steps ahead of their younger sisters when it comes to what we can accomplish, our capabilities, but CPU Candidates are far from helpless if they are leveled up properly."

"Level-Up?" Verna asks curiously.

"Yes, our levels show how powerful we are. The higher the level, the more powerful you become. For you, Verna..." Vert pulled up her sister's current level, from some sort of video game-like status screen in midair. "You're at Level 1, while I currently sit at Level 75."

Verna's head drooped in severe disappointment. "Aw..."

"Now now, you can easily raise your stats if you go on Quests, mostly because there appears to be a lack of beginner's-level monsters nearby, but that is a talk for when you're a little older... D-Don't give me that look!"

Verna looked like she had sucked on 10 consecutive lemons. "Boooo, no fair. I wanna go on Quests!"

"Verna, you don't even know what Quests are." Vert reasoned.

"You can tell me about 'em!"

"A-Anyway!" Vert steered the topic back, which irritated Verna. "When it comes to HDD, CPUs come upon it naturally, presumably right from birth, from what I vaguely recall, but Candidates have to earn it."

"Earn it?"

Vert nods. "Since Candidates are so young, and have a weaker connection to the Sharicite than us CPUs, you have to build up to and earn HDD. Nepgear, Uni, Rom and Ram have all earned their HDD, and the same applies to you, Verna."

"I gotta earn HDD..." Verna pouted. "Why does that sound like such a long time away...?"

"Indeed." Vert ruffled Verna's hair. "Don't fret, you can go see the other Candidates if you want to learn more. This is the best I can give, unfortunately."

Verna nodded, then hugged her sister. "Thanks sis."

"You're welcome, Verna." Vert, of course, returned the hug.

"Sis, what will I look like in HDD?"

"I'm sure you will be very beautiful."

"Will I lose clothes like you?"

"U-Uh..." Vert blanched at the thought of Verna wearing Green Heart's Processors, or lack thereof. She quickly pushed the thought away. "I-I sure hope not, Verna..." Vert cleared her throat. "In any case, I do believe that asking the other Candidates about the means to ascend is the best course of action. I shall trust in them to take good care of you, while I remain home in wait."

"Yaaaay!" Verna ultimately didn't understand half the words her sister said, but she got the gist of it. The soon-to-be-official Candidate the pulled out her UPhone, sending a text to the other Candidates and telling them that they should meet up... "Boop boop boop boop ovo" Unfortunately, Verna was a 5 year old trying to text...

 _"Um... Okay, I'll tell the others what you wanted, and where to go, Verna...!"_ Rom answered back.

 _"^v^"_

 _"^v^"_

 **\- One random clearing later... -**

All of the Candidates met at a clearing just outside of the city, all sitting in a circle and facing each other.

"We're here! ovo" Verna announces.

"Y-Yes, we are...!" speaks Rom, looking down at the ground out of shyness.

"What's up, Verna? It's not like you to ask us to meet like this." wonders Uni.

Ram and Nepgear both sat quietly, curious as to what Verna had in mind.

"Ahem." Verna cleared her throat, and then proclaimed the following: "I wanna use HDD like the rest of you, so I want you all to teach me how to do it! ^v^"

The four all jerked back in reaction.

"Eh? What's wrong? owo" Verna was confused as to why.

"N-Nothing's wrong, but..." Gear scratches her cheek. "Aren't you s-super young to be thinking about going HDD...?"

Verna shrugged. "HDD looks cool and pretty, so I wanna do it too!" she happily replies. "Plus, I turn super cool and super strong!"

"It's not all about that, you big dummy!" Ram shouts out of the blue.

"Huh? owo Why am I a dummy?"

Ram looked particularly upset for some reason. "Because as fun transforming and stuff is, sometimes we do it because we gotta, duh!"

"But I wanna transform! Sis says I become an officyal Candidate if I do!" Verna protested.

 _"Verna..."_ Rom mumbled to herself.

"Listen, Verna...," Uni began, "It's not always meant to be fun becoming a full-fledged Candidate. Didn't your sister tell you this?"

"Yeah, she said stuff about re-spons-o-bility and danger and stuff." The littlest Candidate put up her fists. "She said stuff about fighting too! Fighting is cool! Pow pow!"

"Come on, **take this more seriously, Verna!** " Now Uni was shouting, to Rom's and Nepgear's discomfort. "Yeah sure, it's cool, becoming a flying girl who fights and all, but if you're going into this all happy and pew-pew, you're going to have a rough time, I'm sure of it!"

Verna looked upset. "I-It's gonna happen eventually, w-why wait? Besides, I-I always wanted to do Quests!" Her determination didn't waver, though tears were starting to form in the corners of her blue eyes.

Nepgear then approached the young girl, kneeling down to Verna's level. "It's fine if you feel that way, Verna, we won't stop you from feeling as such, but don't you understand that we're just worried that someone as young as you wants to go that far...? To become a Goddess...?"

Verna sighed, looking back at Gear with one part sorrow and one part hopeful. "I-I get it, but I wanna do stuff! I don't wanna just sit around and watch anime all day, I wanna be a good Candidate!" Verna looked down at her feet. "I-I wanna be helpful... I wanna help my sis..."

Everyone else felt bad... It was clear that Verna wanted this badly.

"Okay!" It was Ram that spoke up, in agreement, no less! "We'll help you get you into being a super-cool Candidate...! But in return, ya gotta give me your snacks for a month!"

Rom pulled the hat over her younger twin's head. "Don't be silly...! We'll help Verna f-for free...!"

"O-Oh...! Yay! ^v^" Verna was happy again, all of her sadness gone.

Uni shook her head, though she could feel the littlest Candidate's joy getting to her. "Alright, why don't we all settle down and get some knowledge into Verna's head, first and foremost?"

Verna nodded, metaphorically pulling out a pen and paper. She looked silly.

"So, tell me this first...! How does a Goddess transform, Verna?" Uni asked.

"Sis said something about the Sharithingy and people's faith? ovo" Verna replies. "She said you gotta chanel it..., or something. owo" No shortage of emotes here, folks.

Nepgear nods in her direction. "That's more or less right, but we can forget about talking about Sharicite for now, since we're only trying to give you an idea of how to transform, 'kay?"

Uni then continued her line of questioning. "Shares themselves are important to talk about; they are the same faith you've mentioned, turned into energy that we Goddesses use for many things, transforming being one of them. Are you following me so far?"

Verna nodded, looking awed.

Rom then chimed in. "It's like a warm, f-fuzzy feeling when you have Share Energy going through you, making you feel strong...! I'm sure you felt it once or twice, Verna...?"

The little blonde thought for a moment."W-Well, I remember feeling all... warm inside when I saw that Underling girl... I was really mad at her..." She frowned.

"That's, uh..." Uni certainly hadn't expected Underling to enter the conversation, though it did make sense. "Well..., however you came across it, I think that feeling might be your best shot... Are you able to focus on it, Verna?"

"I think so! That Underling girl hit me, and made me pee myself!" Verna clenched her tiny fists.

"S-So long as you don't focus on the wrong thing and pee yourself..." Ram worried.

"Okay, Verna...," began Gear, "this next bit will be the hard part, which you won't be able to do immediately... Are you ready to hear it?" Verna nodded, so Gear went on. "You have to keep focusing on it, never let it go while you go about your business. I remember having that little trickle of Share Energy when I first came to be..., though it took a good while for me to achieve HDD...!"

 _"Y-Yeah, though you blocked yourself out of it for a bit, and you n-needed IF to bring it back...!"_ Uni then cleared her throat, getting the attention away form whatever she was mumbling about. "In my opinion, I think what would really help is if you were able to fight, as it makes channeling Shares much easier, to the point of becoming second nature to you like the rest of us. We've all had our share of training before trying to ascend...!"

"I hit stuff with my plushies, does that count? ovo" Verna excitedly replied.

"Have you ever hit a monster though, Verna...?" asked Rom.

"I hit Goopy once! He ate my sis plushie... qwq" Verna was referring to a pet Dogoo she got some time ago. Well, it followed her home, but that's besides the point.

"It, um..., it's a little different than your pet Dogoo, Verna." Nepgear stated, getting up onto her feet. "Not every monster is willing to play nice... Do you think you would be able to stand up to them if and when they don't?"

"I dunno. owo" she answered truthfully. "I'll try my best though!"

"You better! It's not fun getting hurt either." Ram warned.

"Owies are never fun..." Rom added.

"owod" Is it just me, or is Verna slowly turning into Histoire? Just me? Okay...

Nepgear nodded. "Then it's settled. We're going to bring you along on a Quest!"

"Yay!" Verna jumped for joy.

"I wonder what kind of equipment Verna can equip...?" Rom wonders out loud.

Verna brought out her fighting plushie, a plushie of Cave, looking determined. "T-The power of Miss Cave's plushiness will help me!"

The twin Candidates giggled, while the older ones looked on with smiles on their faces...

"Hm, she also uses a plush to fight...?" Gear mumbled to herself, reminded of something, or someone...

"I had this one reinforced!" exclaims Verna.

"She's fighting l-like Plutia..." Gear felt a bit of sweat form by her brow and by the back of her neck.

"Yeah! Miss Plutia made it for me!"

That affirmation only strengthened Nepgear's feelings of unease, as she exclaims, "O-O-Okay then...!"

"She's really nice, I dunno why sis is scared of her. ovo" Oh Verna...

And so, the Candidates took Verna to the nearest Guild branch, heading right back into the center of town. Along the way, they passed many a civilian and adventurer, drawing stares thanks to their combined reputations as CPU Candidates. In fact, seeing Verna be with them only peaked their curiosity...

But no matter. Eventually, they arrived at the building in question, the First Branch of Leanbox's Guild organization. A rather brown, plain-looking building on the outside, but looking more like a green-tinted airport on the inside.

"This is the Guild, Verna!" exclaims Nepgear, stepping to the side so Verna could see into it. "Have you ever been to one before?"

"Nope. The furthest I've ever been from home alone was the corner store..." The little Candidates eyes sparkled as she looked inside. "It looks so cool though...~!" Indeed, all sorts of technological pizazz would catch Verna's attention, like a Kupokitty to tuna, but more on those later...

"Well, first things first, we have to register you into the system itself." Uni mentions. "Everyone has to when they first begin taking quests, so the process can go well."

"Okay...!" Verna sounded and looked happy, but... "How do you do that?"

"By filling out some paperwork." responds Nepgear. "It's mostly having to do with where to send the reward. Don't worry though, Uni and I will accompany you so everything gets filled out right!"

Verna was led to the Guild client NPC, who always looked happy to do her job. Kinda had to, considering it seemed the Guild was open twenty-four-seven.

"Welcome to the First Branch, Leanbox Guild! How may I help you ladies?"

The Candidates all look at Verna with expectation. Well, she _is_ the one who wanted to register.

"I-I wanna do a Quest..." she calmly replies. "So..., can I register and stuff? ovo?"

"Oh my, you're quite the young lady there to be asking for a Quest, Miss..."

"V-Verna." she finished. "I'm Vert's little sister, a-and CPU Candydate of Leanbox!"

With Verna's admission, the NPC's eyes widened. "O-Oh...! So you're Lady Verna...?! A-Ahem..." She clears her throat to calm herself. "V-Very well, hang on for a moment..." She then walks away from her post.

"ovo" Verna stood there, all happy, as one could tell. Behind her, her friends all looked confused over the way the NPC acted.

The NPC comes back shortly after, though, holding something in her hand. "Your sister, our CPU, had foreseen this day coming, Lady Verna. This is for you." She hands Verna her Guild ID.

"Woaaaah...! OvO" Verna took the ID. It had her information on it and everything! "So cool!"

"Whoa, that's pretty cool of your sis to do this for you! Like, pretty much day one!" Ram happily admits, before pouting. "Not like what Blanc did after we rescued her. We worked our butts off, and she forbi,... forby..., sh-she kept us from the Guild for a few weeks!"

"She just wanted to keep us safe, I think..." adds Rom.

Even though she heard the twins, Verna couldn't help but hold her ID proudly. "Thanks sis! ^v^"

"M-Make sure you keep that in a safe place, Verna...!" Rom advises.

Verna, who didn't have any pockets, wore the ID around her neck. It had a string, what? "There we go!"

Uni then tilts her head. "Uh, wait, shouldn't you have an inventory to put that in...? Eh, it's all right, we'll teach that to you later on." She then claps her hands together, before reaching for a pad connected to the booth, fiddling with it. "So yeah, with that part all done, let me just..."

"ovo" Verna just admired her new ID. Nepgear chuckles behind her.

"There." Uni put the device away on the counter. "I've signed us up for a Quest up in the nearby dungeon. We've got to stamp out a sudden invasion of Kupokitties, as they're not native to Leanbox..." She trails off, knowing that this breed of cat-like enemy was mostly indigenous to Lastation.

"What are Kupokitties? They sound cute. ovo" Oh Verna.

"Oh, they look cute and cuddly, but they're gonna scratch you first thing they do! They're just cat bullies!" Ram answers.

"Booo..." Verna frowned and gave a thumbs down. "So, where are we going?"

"I believe our destination is Gapain Field, the closest dungeon like Uni said." explains Nepgear.

"Okay! ovo" Verna looked excited. W-With that face.

 **\- Gapain Field... -**

The Candidates arrive at the grassy dungeon, looking as straight and asset-reused as ever with its rolling hills and the bridge that's always either broken or leading to a single field. The fields themselves looked more similar than before, thanks to all the cuddly Kupokitties up and about.

Oh, and can't forget about the odd tiny, walking eggplant and flying whale.

"I believe I can fly~!" sang Verna.

"Whoo!" sang Ram...?

While Uni rolls her eyes at the reference, Nepgear canvasses their surroundings... "So yeah, there's a whole bunch of them around...! They appear to have driven out most of the native monsters, save for the strong ones..."

"The kitties look like stuffed animals~! ovo" Verna gushed.

"Don't be fooled... You wanna beat the stuffing out of them...!" Rom seems as ready as she could be.

"You have a weapon on you, Verna?" Uni asks, before quickly remembering, and just as Verna pulls out her attack plushie.

"Plushie Power!"

"... All right... Let's scope out the right way to go about this..." Uni and the rest hide behind the nearest bush. _"Verna, come over here...!"_ she hoarsely whispers.

 _"Stealth..."_ Verna whispered, going behind the bush as instructed.

Nepgear then takes command, huddling everyone close. "All right everyone, we can't just rush this. We have to pick our battles wisely, or else the entire group may all decide to gang up on us...!" The other girls were paying rapt attention. There were indeed quite the number of Kupokitties, though not an unmanageable amount.

As Ram peeked her head out, she immediately perked up as she saw their first chance. "There! Four behind the big rock!"

"All right ladies!" shouts Nepgear. "Let's get 'em!"

"Yay!" Verna felt like she was on some sort of cool mission as she jumped into battle.

The Candidates all leap out of their cover, engaging themselves in battle!

 **SYMBOL ATTACK!**

"We've got the advantage!" shouts Uni, aiming down her sights and immediately shooting right through one of the kitties, scattering it into data!

Verna had her trusty Cave plushie held out, ready to fight. "M-Miss Cave gives me luck!" Indeed, having this weapon equipped raises her LUCK by a decent amount.

"Meow me-" **SHING!** Nepgear takes one of them out in one go! "Meow meow...?" The last few swift kills got the last one's attention all right, though it was then pelted!

Rom then appears by Verna's side, explaining a bit more. "It's always better if you a-attack first, Verna... You wanna give it a shot...?"

Verna nods, facing one of the kitties before laying into it with a plushie! "Hiyah!" It's...about as effective as a 5 year old hitting a Kupokitty with a plushie.

"Meow!" The Kupokitty lashes out, hitting Verna! "OWIE!" Verna hits it back, plastering it with her plush! "B-Bad kitty!" Verna's retaliation managed to take out the bad kitty.

Rom then heals up her scratches in short order, a light smile on her face. "It'll be all right...! Owies are part of the whole thing..."

"O-Okay..."

"BOOM! I got the last one!" Ram shouts, right as a dust-coated Uni walks out from the younger twin did.

"Ugh, couldn't you have waited before I got out of there before unleashing hell on it, Ram...? Now I'm all covered in ash..."

"BOOM!" Verna parroted.

"... A-Anyway, we took out only a few of them, girls." Uni shakes off all the crud on her. "Now we've got to... To... Oh no." Her face becomes pale.

"Wh-What's wrong, Uni...? Why are you- Ehhh?" Nepgear went through the same thing...

"Huh? What's going on? owo" Verna was none the wiser, until she turned around to see what they were-

"Meow meow!"

"Meowmeow meow!"

"MEOW MEOW."

A bunch of Kupokitties were all raring to go, all right on top of the big rock the Candidates used to hide their activity. Apparently, they didn't take well to their extermination.

"Yay, more kitties to whack! ovo" Verna was excited, regardless. The other four didn't know what to make of it, but they had little time to think on it.

"C-Cover fire!" Uni swiftly steps in front of everyone and begins blasting a barrage of bullets into the clowder of Kupokitties, sending most of them scattering all around the girls!

"Bring it!" Verna looked far more excited than necessary as she readies her weapon, especially as one such kitty swooped down upon her like a ninja... It would then try to rob her of all hope, again like a ninja.

"Take this!" Verna gave the kitty a few good whacks, hitting as hard as she could! While Verna's string of attacks indeed harmed the kitty, however, to her misfortune her attacks didn't take it down. It then throws a nasty half-eaten fish at the little Candidate, pelting her by the shoulder! "ACK! SEAFOOD! Blech...!" Verna plugged her nose, gagging.

"Hey, watch out, you big dummy!" A burst of fire hit the opportunistic Kupokitty, which tried to taking the chance the rotten fish granted it, only to get fried from the side.

"EEP!" Verna jumped back, just as the monster was hit. From a slight distance, she could see Ram looking at her disapprovingly. "S-Sorry, I hate fish..."

That probably wasn't the best thing to say, as a bunch of the Kupokitties then turned toward Verna with shifty looks in their eyes. They all raised plenty more half-eaten fish, ready to be lobbed...!

Verna went green...er. "N-No fair! Meanies!"

"I told you they were!" shouted the impulsive twin. Ram was then enveloped in a bright light, coming out of it in the form of one of the White Sisters! "Just stay behind me and watch how it's done! And stop getting all sick and gross!"

Verna did so, retching. "Okay, ew...!"

"Ick, please!" Despite sounding more mature and level-headed in HDD, Ram stuck her tongue out with Verna's show of disgust. This proved an opportunity for many bad kitties to charge in with fish-a-flailing, but White Sister just blasted the closest ones with some well-placed wind magic.

"S-Sorry..." The youngest of them all apologized.

While Ram didn't manage to stop every enemy, another burst of magic came in to sweep the rest away in ice. It was Rom, also in HDD, as she questions the two girls. "What are you two doing...? We kinda gotta keep fighting..." She too sounded more mature, and more confident. In a way.

"S-Sorry..." Verna apologized again. She then noticed that she was seeing Rom and Ram in HDD for the first time, and that got her excited. "Y-You two look so pretty in HDD!"

"U-Um..." Rom twiddled her fingers. "Th-Thank you, Verna..."

"Well of course we'd look prettier in HDD, duh!" Ram was still herself.

"ovo" Verna meant well, giving her emote face and a thumbs up.

Meanwhile...

"Nya nya!"

"Too slow!" PZHOO!

Uni had been keeping the kitties off her tail with well-placed shots from her rifle, but the horde of cat monsters coming out of the woodworks ended up being more and more trouble. "Damn..., I wasn't expecting this Quest to turn out like this...! I thought this was an E-Ranked Quest; there are way too many of these things! Ugh, enough of this!"

Fed up, she transformed then and there to Black Sister, all hair-curled up and ready to level armies with her bigger gun!

"WOAH! That gun is biiiiig! O_O" Verna was impressed. She couldn't help gushing over every little thing, she was that young. "Also, your hair looks silly Miss Uni!"

"Uh, thanks...? Anyway!" Uni brings her gun around her and promptly blasts through a small group of bad kitties from jumping her. That's right, blasts. She now shot bullets of energy instead! "Just keep going and give them hell, everyone! You two, get back to beating the bad monsters...!"

"Yeah, sounds good to me." Ram agreed. "Hey Verna, make sure you do something, okay?" Both sisters flew off.

Verna nodded, ready to give combat another chance. "C-Come at me you bad kitties, I dare ya!"

"Meow nya!" One took Verna up to her challenge, fish at the ready! They never gave that up, as this one jumps at her...! Verna, holding her breath, swung at the kitty like it were a baseball.

 **WHACK!**

HOME RUN...!

Well, no, she barely hit it towards first base, but Verna's doll hit the mark, leaving the Kupokitty dazed. "H-HYPER PLUSHIE ATTACK!" A flurry of plushie strikes then befell the kitty, Plushie-geddon, if you will. Verna took care of the monster..., and now here comes three more, surrounding her!

"M-Mm! I wish I could go HDD too!" An annoyed Verna attacked the monsters very bravely, getting scratched up a bit in the process. Verna's swings and strikes were doing their job, but soon, eight were crowding around her, doing more damage and splitting her attention more and more...

"Meow meow!"

"MEOW MEOW!"

"Nya meow!"

"RGH!" Verna was getting mad, red in the face as she was being overwhelmed. She started feeling warm and fuzzy on the inside...

"NO! YOU STAY AWAY FROM HER!"

A beam blast shreds through half of the kitties around Verna, and Nepgear zips in, taking care of the other half with her beam saber. She was also in HDD, covered in purple and white and sounding... largely the same.

"Are you okay, Verna...?"

"Y-Yup...!" Verna was banged up, panting. The warm feeling wasn't going away, if anything it was getting stronger. "T-Thanks Miss Nepgear!"

Purple Sister nods. "Think nothing of it. Normally these monsters are clever, but this level of coordination isn't normal... Verna, you're doing well, but don't hesitate to run away if you're not able to keep going! Here."

She hands her a Nep Bull. Verna drank it. "Hm, it's no Mountain Dew, but it's up there!"

"It heals 30% of your health, too!"

"Cool!"

There was no rest in sight, however, as yet another rowdy group of Kupokitties then surrounded them!

"All right, I'll watch your back, Verna! Let's level you up!"

"Hiyah! ovo" Verna leaped into action, her eyes glowing with determination! Literally! Wait what...

Verna's eyes started glowing a faint purple as she took on more monsters. The warm feeling was even stronger now

"Mirage Dance!" Purple Sister takes to the ground and gracefully swings her beam saber through more monsters!

"EX Multi Blaster!" Black Sister looses a whole beam of destruction straight through some kitties!

"Eternal Force Blizzard!"

"Ice Coffin!"

Both White Sisters unleashed a storm of ice upon their foes!

"Aw, I don't have a cool move... qwq" Verna muttered sadly, absentmindedly blocking some attacks.

"Uhh..., we mostly come up with these after some thinking and experience, Verna..." answers Uni, shooting down what now felt like a trickling flow of monsters.

"Are the monsters finally slowing down...?" Rom asks warily.

"I-I hope so... I feel funny..." Verna gripped her chest, since it felt warmer than necessary. Thankfully, this seemed to be the case, as now no more Kupokitties were attacking them. "Phew! ovo"

"This is a lot of Kupokitty Claws!" exclaims Ram, holding up a bunch of the material as she could in her hand. "Like, enough to fill a bathtub!"

"That sounds like a pretty painful bath... Well, let's turn back, girls." Nepgear and the rest come out of their transformations. Looking over at their fifth party member, they all felt relief that nothing befell Verna. But, something was off... "Hey Verna, is there something weird with your eyes...?"

"Huh? Something weird with my eyes...? ovo" Verna obviously couldn't see herself, but to everyone else... Well, at least the warm feeling was at its peak now...

Uni searches through her belongings, producing a mirror for her friend. "Here, take a look at this, and see if anything looks funny to you."

Verna accepted the mirror, looking into it right away, and came out surprised with what she saw. "Woah! My eyes are purple! W-When did that happen? owo"

Normally, Verna's eyes were blue, just like her sister's were. This other color was also...

"Doesn't your sister have purply eyes when she changes?" Ram promptly asks.

"Y-Yeah," replies the Candidate in question, "I've seen her in HDD recently..."

Nepgear then purses her mouth, deep in thought. "Well, correct me if I'm wrong, everyone, but I don't think any of us had this sort of thing happen back in the day... This does seem like you're on the right track though, Verna!"

"Right track?" Verna's grip on her chest tightened.

Uni nods. "Yeah..., but I do think something's missing, however... Forgive me if I'm asking something out of line, but have you ever gone through something... pretty bad like we have...?"

"Um, no. B-But I remember this really bad story sis told me a little while ago..."

Gear's expression shifts to one of sadness. "I'm pretty sure that Vert was talking about the time her a-and our sisters were captured by ASIC..."

Verna quivered. "Y-Yeah, that was...it..." Her admission causes everyone to sadden now. "I remember it was a b-bad time...?"

Uni sighs, shaking her head. " Yeah..., it really was. Well, here's the thing... I can't be sure of this, but I'm fairly certain that if it weren't for such a thing happening, there was a chance we would all still have problems transforming..."

"It made feel sad..., imagining sis in... p-pain..." Verna clenches in her fists.

"I-I remember the same thing with B-Blanc, Verna...!" Rom manages to say. "I wanted to grow up and be able to protect her..."

"I feel the same... I wanted Noire to feel proud of me..." Uni mutters. "I want to make sure that nothing bad could ever happen to her again, so I trained hard...!"

"Sheesh, guys, d-don't make me get all sobby t-too...!" Ram complains. "M-Meh, we made it, didn't we...? Our sisters are all free, so why are we crying about this...?"

"Yeah, Ram's r-right, everyone..." Nepgear remarks. "I'm just glad that we were able to save them in the end...! I don't want to think about what could happen to Neptune..."

"I-I don't want sis to be in pain. Never..." Verna was muttering to herself, looking down at her feet as she heard everyone's words about their sisters' past trouble... "I-I wasn't there for Vert back then..., but I wanna protect her now...! I don't care if I'm s-small!" Her emotions and the warmth within her reached a boiling point. "I-I mean it...! I love sis more than anything! N-Nobody is gonna hurt sis on my watch!" A white light started surrounding her, catching the other girls by surprise!

"E-Eh...? Verna, you're...! YAH!"

Nepgear was cut off by the light brightening up to the point of blinding everyone!

"S-Sis, I...! _Eeee!_ "

 **TRANSFORMATION!**

The light disappeared as soon as it arrived, leaving the other four stunned...! Standing before them wasn't their regular Verna anymore, and instead what appeared to be a mini version of Green Heart. Purple eyes, green hair in a ponytail, and a white bodysuit. Green Sister, was far more clothed, however, the only skin showing being her face and some of her back. Small, butterfly-like wings extended from her back, making her look like a fairy. Also unlike her sister, Verna hasn't gained any sort of bodily enhancement; she was still the small girl that she was.

"... Well THAT was easy!" Uni throws her arms up and shouts out of surprise. "You actually did it, Verna! I'm impressed!"

It took a moment for Verna to process the situation. When she did...

"YAY! I HAVE PRETTY HDD NOW! ^v^" So happy, Verna was. She sure didn't sound all that different either! "Teehee! This is AWESOME!"

"I'm very proud over what you've accomplished, Verna!" praises Nepgear.

"N-No kidding...! That was pretty dang quick, if you ask me...!" Ram wasn't at a loss for words...

"C-Congratulations, Verna! You did it...! Heehee, now we can all go on journeys together...!" ... and neither was Rom.

Green Sister did a twirl, enjoying herself and every bit of Share Energy now coursing through her. "Oh geez, wait until sis finds out!" She gasped. "I-I gotta tell sis! B-Bye-Bye!"

Verna flew off like a plane, leaving her friends with some difficulty... She was practically a newborn when it came to flying, after all. Just like the first trip with the Candidates, Verna got plenty of attention when she flew into the city, but all she wanted to do was tell her sister...!

Eventually, she made it back to the Basilicom, barging in through the front door while yelling, "S-SIS! SIIIIIIS! I-I DID IT! _IDIDITIDIDITIDIDIT!_ "

Vert had been right there in the middle of the lobby, having some tea to calm her nerves while waiting for Verna. When she saw her newly-ascended sister in front of her however, she certainly wasn't calm. The opposite, in fact. "V-Verna...?! Verna, is that really you...?!"

"I-I DID IT! I'M IN CUTE HDD NOW!" Green Sister raised her arms in celebration, right in her sister's face.

Vert slowly stood up from her seat, shaking, as a flood of emotions took hold while taking a good look at her little Verna. She wanted to keep Verna a little girl for a bit longer, she wanted her to be safe, but now...!

"... I-I... I don't know what to say...! This is... Th-This is...!" She then closed the distance, hugging Verna with the huggiest hug she could ever give. "I'm just s-so happy for you, m-my darling little sister~!" Vert began sobbing right there, overjoyed and not caring if the staff and anyone else drew an unfavorable impression from her moment here. She just wants to love her sister!

"I-I am too...!" Verna returned the favor, hugging her sister back while tears of her own began falling. "I-I can protect you now, sis...! I s-said I would...~!"

As much as they wanted to enjoy this moment in time, a third voice would make herself known. "Dearest, what is going on!?" Chika ran in to see what the commotion was about... "I came in just as soon as... I... heard...?" ...and was shocked to see what appeared to be a chibi Green Heart in Vert's arms. "Wh-Who the... Is that...?"

"Verna has achieved HDD, Chika." Vert calmly states, breaking the hug only to lift her sister up in her arms. While she was still crying, her voice became unaffected for the sake of her pride. It was a good kind of pride, though. "We must celebrate the occasion, o-of course...! I hereby ask that pizza be delivered here; we're going to have ourselves a pizza party!"

"Pizza Party?" Verna's eyes went wide, before shouting, "Yay! Th-This is the best day ever~! I love you, Vert!"

The sight of her sister, now an official CPU Candidate in her arms and excited for pizza, brought the biggest smile Vert could ever give. "And I love you, my sweet, little Verna~!"


	25. Chapter 25

"Your hair is red, my eyes are blue... I-I really like you, s-so you should too!" Verna was blushing as she wrote a love poem. For whom, you may ask? Well..., it was kinda obvious. "M-Miss Cave will love these..."

For the past few hours, Verna had been alone in her room, thinking of love poems to write for Cave. With the excitement that was finally achieving HDD having died down, Verna found herself focusing on more important matters. In this case, those 'important matters' were all of Leanbox's Ultimate Warrior.

"Hm, does Miss Cave even like roses?" Verna thought to herself. "Mm..., they're the same color as her pretty hair~" Verna blushed. "R-Roses it is!" Verna doodled on her little love poem, trying her best to draw a good rose.

Meanwhile, Vert had been watching Verna write poems for the last few minutes. After seeing how Verna acted when the subject Cave was even remotely brought up, as well as what Blanc told her, she grew worried for her little sister.

"Oh dear..., how should I explain this?" Vert mumbled to herself. While the display of little Verna trying to write love poems was certainly very adorable, there was the issue of Verna falling in love with someone who was much older than Verna was. Cave herself wasn't aware of Verna's feelings for her yet, and Vert hoped she didn't have to tell Cave. Verna was sweet and innocent, and so were her feelings, but this was something that simply could not happen. That, and Vert had heard that Cave and Lyrica had started dating...

Vert didn't want to break her sister's heart by telling her these things, but she also didn't want Verna hopelessly chasing after someone she didn't have a chance with. The big sister was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Either choice she went with was going to have consequences, and Vert wanted to refrain from hurting her sister in any way. But still...

"Hi sis!" Verna had noticed her big sister standing outside her door. Vert almost jumped through the roof in shock. "Lookit! Look what I made!" Verna held up the various poems she created over the hours. Vert sighed, and entered her sister's room. Seeing Verna all happy and smiling really didn't make breaking the news easier for Vert, but gosh darn it she had to try!

"I-I see..." Vert picked up some of the pieces of construction paper, and looked it over. Verna wasn't the best at writing or drawing, her being so young and all, so there were expected mistakes. Still, Verna was a better writer than Neptune by a long shot.

 _"Hey, writing is just boring bub!"_

 _"Neptune, please leave. This isn't your scene."_

 _"Aw, fine..."_

Okay then... "T-These are very nice Verna..." Vert went on like no fourth-wall antics had happened.

"Thanks, sis! I worked really hard on them!" Verna smiled again, which always served to weaken Vert's defenses. Did everything Verna do have to be so cute!?

"I see..." Vert couldn't think of anything else to say. Verna had poured her little heart out in these poems and, as illegible as they might be, a few were actually quite touching. She still had to bring up some arguments though. "V-Verna, do you plan to give these to Cave?"

Verna nodded. "Yup! I'm sending them through the mail!"

Vert blanched, feeling sorry for Cave. "U-Um..., eh..." She was at a loss for words. Verna didn't notice her sister's reaction, as she continued to write poems. "I'm not gonna send 'em out right now though. I wanna show my friends what they think."

That served to stop Vert's thoughts. "H-Huh? You mean Nepgear and the others?"

"Uh-huh!" Verna nodded again. "I want their opynin!"

"Opinion, Verna..."

"Yeah, opynin!"

Vert sighed, smiling at her sister's cuteness. "Oh Verna..." She ruffled her hair in an affectionate manner. _'Please stay innocent forever...'_ The blonde thought, looking down sadly as her sister wrote down more poems. It was inevitable really, Verna was going to find out the hard truth sooner or later, and Vert was going to be there for Verna when it happened.

For now, she could only watch. Vert couldn't bring herself to tell Verna, and she didn't know a single soul who would want to break such an innocent girls heart. Verna didn't deserve that, but life was cruel sometimes. The older sister sighed again.

 _"May your heart lead you, Verna..."_

* * *

"So, whaddya think?"

Verna was at Lowee, in Rom and Ram's room. She flew to the Nation herself for the first time, though her older sister insisted on going with her. Verna didn't really mind. Vert and Blanc were doing adult stuff, so that meant Verna would be bored very quickly.

Aside from that, she displayed about a dozen love poems for the twins to see. Since Nepgear and Uni where doing stuff in their own time, Verna had to settle with just the twins' opinions for now. She had to admit though, Verna had always found herself going to Lowee more than Planeptune and Lastation combined.

"Uh..." As for the twins, Ram didn't really know what to say. She had always found love-related things to be 'icky and gross' (which was her same opinion on vegtables, as well as a certain pedophile...), but she was speechless for a different reason. It was the fact that Verna was apparently crushing on Cave, who clearly didn't look older than 20. So, from what Ram understood, this was wrong on a lot of levels.

Rom just stared at the poems, a somewhat sour frown on her face. Verna was confused by that reaction. "Rom? You okay?"

"F-Fine..." The innocent twin mumbled. For some reason, Verna didn't believe her, but she let it pass for now.

"This is..., uh..." Ram was still trying to think of a good answer. Verna looked at her with those big 'ol eyes, which resembled that of a puppy's. Ram gulped. "Well, it's something." That was the best she could give.

"Is it a good something?" asked Verna.

Ram felt the pressure from Verna's expectant look. "U-Um... sure..."

"Yay!" Verna was happy. "What about you, Rom?"

The quieter twin took a moment to look them over. The sourness was still on her features. "T-They're... good..., you should show Miss Cave..."

Only Ram registered Rom's sour mood. Verna just looked even happier.

"I knew they'd be good!" Verna jumped for joy. "T-Thanks Rom, Ram, I-I'm gonna go give these to Miss Cave!" She left, leaving the twins alone.

"Rom?" Ram knew that Rom liked Verna. She didn't know how much Rom liked Verna, but her twin had always grown flustered whenever she was either around or brought up. "Are you ok?"

"Mm..." Rom pulled her hat over her head, hiding her expression. Ram could tell she was quivering though.

"Hey, what's wrong with you!?" asked Ram, upset now. "You've been more sour than a lemon ever since Verna showed us those dumb poems!"

"I-I don't wanna... talk about it..." said Rom from under her hat.

Ram groaned. "Ugh, now you're being a dummy!" She shook her head. When did she get so darn close to Verna anyway? What was so special about her!? The so-not-jealous Ram was left wondering, while Rom sniffled under her hat.

 **-Blanc's Office-**

"Blanc?"

"Mm..."

"Blanc?"

"Mm~."

"BLANC!"

"AH! WHAT, DAMMIT!?"

Vert had been hoping to discuss the 'Verna being in love with Cave' situation with Blanc. Neptune had been... busy with Plutia as of late, and Noire was seething with jealous rage to really care for much else, so that left Vert with just Blanc, who was the one who told Verna about what love was to begin with. Unfortunately for the blonde, Blanc had been far too distracted by her own thoughts for the last few minutes. No guesses as to what was causing this, Lastations own Oracle, Kei, had become the center of Blanc's life very recently. Under normal circumstances, Vert would be happy for her, but she had an issue to deal with. An issue that came in an adorable five year old package.

"You can daydream about your girlfriend later, we have an issue here."

"I-I was not daydreaming about Kei!" Blanc blushed. "A-And you have the issue, Thunder Tits, this is none of my business."

"Were you not the one who told Verna about about love, Blanc~?" Vert had a sickeningly sweet smile on her face, along with a sugar sweet tone that Blanc immediately distrusted. She wasn't fazed however.

"I ain't the one she fell in love with." Blanc countered. "You can't pin the blame on me, since it's no one's fault really. Love is about as natural as breathing."

Vert faltered at that statement. "I am well aware, Blanc, but the main issue here is that Verna is a child, and Cave is an adult!"

"I know that, ya bimbo..." Vert scowled. "Look, I dunno what to tell you here. Rom and Ram have never fell in love with someone older than them. _Though, for whatever reason, the name Stella keeps popping up..._ "

Vert couldn't hear that last bit, but assumed it was just prattle. "What am I to do then, Blanc?"

The petite CPU sighed. "You got two options here, Vert. You can either break the news to her, or you can make her believe that she actually has a chance with Cave. Which do you think is the better option?"

Vert sighed in a miserable manner. She hated to admit it, but Blanc was right. It would be wrong and delusive to string Verna on her impossible dreams. She knew it would hurt Verna, but it was something she needed to do.

"Sis!" Speaking of, an excited Verna came barging in through the doors. "Rom and Ram liked the poems, so I wanna give 'em to Miss Cave now!"

"O-Oh..., um..." Vert looked towards Blanc, as if asking for help.

 _"Wait until you get home, I don't want a crying kid in my Basilicom..."_ She tried to whisper in an annoyed manner, but in reality she was disheartned. Vert nodded.

"Come then Verna, I heard Cave was at our local park." Vert hid her sadness as she transformed

"Yay!" Verna didn't notice, and transformed with her sister. A few seconds later, and they were gone.

As soon as they left, Blanc pulled out her computer and resumed the story she was working on before Vert and Verna showed up. No guesses as to what it was about, or the content rating.

* * *

"Whee!" Verna giggled as she touched down in a Leanbox park, a small distance's walk away from the Basilicom, and the first thing the little girl did was look for Cave. There weren't that many people in the simple-looking park, so it shouldn't be too hard to look for her.

"V-Verna, please wait!" Her big sister had just touched down, and was currently trying to catch up to the younger girl. Curse children and their unlimited energy.

Cave herself was on the other side of the park, simply relaxing and enjoying the scenery. She had been given the day off, and she had planned to use it to its fullest. Unfortunately for Cave, she had just finished detaining (and by detain, Cave obviously means 'knock out') a weird blue-haired girl who had tried, and sadly succeeded, to grope her. Cave had elbowed her in the skull before things got too out of hand, and park officials dragged the strange girl away. At least Cave got her before she could take anything precious...

... Well, Cave **hoped** that the weird blue girl hadn't taken anything important, because she was felling drafts...

"Miss Cave!" A young voice stopped Cave from continuing her thoughts. She recognized that voice, and smiled. Sure enough, Verna came running up all happy, with an exhausted Vert right behind her.

"Ha... haa... h-how are you not tired, V-Verna...?" Vert bent over to catch her breath. "Haa... I need to get out more..."

"Lady Vert, Verna, what brings you two here?" Cave was pleased to see her Lady again so soon, and Verna as well. She had become... attached to the littlest Candidate. She was like a little sister to Cave as well.

"I-I..., uh..., I-I wanted to give you these..." Verna held up a stack of pink-colored cards. "I-I was hoping you would r-read them..."

Cave smiled again, and happily accepted them. "Very well. I will read them when I return home, and tell you what I think tomorrow, okay?"

"O-Okay..." Verna smiled back.

Vert could only look on sadly. Cave didn't understand that look, but she shrugged it off. How bad could a simple stack of cards be? Also...

"I heard from Nepgear that you have finally acheived Hard Drive Divinty, Verna. Is that true?" Cave couldn't imagine such a small girl accessing HDD, even if she was a CPU Candidate.

"Yeah! Lookit!" Verna up and transformed in front of Cave. She went wide-eyed. "See? I'm a pretty Candydate now! Heehee~!"

"I see..." Cave was surprised to see the tiny Candidate transform. She wasn't even a year old yet! It was very jarring.

Verna was giggling. "Oh! I have a cool weapon too!" She pulled out a regal-looking bow from her inventory. "Check it out!" Verna pulled the string back, and from out of nowhere, a glowing golden arrow appeared. Grinning, Verna released and shot the arrow at a nearby tree. She hit the branch, obliterating it.

Cave blinked, then smiled. "Impressive, Verna. I've never seen a more perfect shot."

Verna blushed. "T-Thanks, Miss Cave..."

Vert just ignored the potential property damage. "She has grown remarkably for her age. She goes on Quests with Nepgear and the others very frequently!" Vert could hardly believe that her very young sister was already doing Quests. T-They grow up so fast!

Cave ruffled Verna's hair. "You're doing Quests now? You seem quite eager to grow up, Verna."

"I-I just wanted to do stuff..." said a flushed Verna. "A-And be a good Candidate..."

"I suppose that is a good cause, but don't rush too fast Verna. You are still a child, after all."

"O-Okay, Miss Cave..." Verna nodded.

"I believe our time is at an end, Verna." Vert came up then. "Unless you wanted to do something else with Cave, we should head back." She wasn't trying to be mean, Vert just didn't want to bother Cave on one of her few days off.

"Feel free to visit anytime. I always enjoy your company." Cave didn't look or sounded bothered, she looked happy. Pleased.

"Perhaps we'll visit soon." Vert's words made Verna's face light up. "But for now, we must take our leave."

Verna looked saddened, but she listened to her older sister. The elder sister then transformed and the two flew off, leaving Cave alone.

"Hm..." She glanced at the pile of pink construction paper in her hands. She smiled at the thought of Verna making all of this, and for her in mind... Cave opened one out of curiosity.

Her smile fell as she read the poem, her eyes widening in shock.

Verna was... a-and she made these for her... Cave sighed.

"...This could be a problem..."


	26. Chapter 26

_"I-I'm sorry, Verna..."_

 _Verna heard of a story going around. A story that Nepgear and her sister were going around with a sword and killing her friends. Naturally, Verna didn't believe such a thing, but both her sister and Miss Chika had confirmed it. They had finished in Lowee, and they were coming to Leanbox to kill them._

 _Verna's head couldn't wrap around such a thing, but Vert had told her they could grieve later. Now, they had to fight for their lives. Her sister had promised they would win, at a great price of course. Vert had said they would mourn over the friends they lost, and defeat a great evil, the Deity Of Sin, together._

 _But they didn't win. Despite their efforts, the Leanbox sisters had lost. It was because the Planeptune sisters were stealing their Shares, which made them weaker than usual. When Verna thought it couldn't get any worse, Nepgear killed her sister with a cursed sword. Verna was by her side in her final moments, and at the very next moment, she had vanished, leaving the younger sister standing in the spot where Vert just was._

 _Her big sister wasn't there anymore, Vert was no longer with her._

 _Verna looked up at Nepgear, who had a look of anguish on her face. Next to her was Neptune, looking equally as miserable. Behind her were her Maker friends, but Verna spotted Cave in particular. She looked... agonized. She looked away as soon as the little Candidate looked at her, but Verna could tell she was crying._

 _"W-Why...?" One word was all Verna could utter. What had possessed her friend, if Verna could even call her that now, to do these horrible things? Why was she killing the CPUs?_

 _"To defeat a common enemy, Verna. I-I'm so sorry, but... I had to..."_

 _It then hit Verna like a maelstrom. Miss Noire, Miss Blanc, Uni, Rom, Ram... they were all forever dead. Her sister was dead, Verna had failed to protect her sister._

 _She broke her promise, and now she was gonna die next, by the hands of one of her former friends._

 _"I-I... I...!" Verna broke down. "W-WAAAAAAAAH!" She began sobbing uncontrollably. "S-Sis..., R-Rom..., R-Ram... W-Waaaaaaah!"_

 _"V-Verna...!" Nepgear tried to reach out to Verna, but the little girl only backed away from her. She didn't want to be comforted by the very person who killed Vert, the person she loved the most._

 _"Verna..." A pair of hands wrapped around the young girl, and she was pulled in for a hug. It took a moment for Verna to realize that Cave was hugging her. "Please..., don't cry..."_

 _"B-But..." Verna leaned into Cave's embrace, sobbing. "S-Sis..., R-Rom and Ram..."_

 _"I know..." Cave hugged her tighter. She was crying as well. "I'm so sorry..."_

 _Verna didn't feel any better, but she felt comfortable in Cave's arms. She knew what was coming, Verna could feel Nepgear's presence from behind her, and she knew that her death was inevitable._

 _How did it come to this? Verna had no idea._

 _"I-I'm so sorry, Verna..." Nepgear raised the sword. Verna was still in Cave's tight embrace._

 _At least, Verna would be reunited with her sister. The little girl took comfort in that. She started crying again._

 _"Close your eyes..." Cave whispered._

 _Verna shut her eyes._

 _A swing, and then-_

 **"AH!"**

* * *

Verna woke up with a start, tears pouring down her face as she breathed quickly and heavily. She was sweating a storm as she looked around.

She wasn't dead. She was in her room. In the dark. It hadn't bothered her before, but after what happened less than a few seconds ago, Verna couldn't help but start wailing.

 **"WAAAAAAAAH!"**

It took less than 10 seconds for a worried Vert to come bursting through the door. Never mind that it was three in the morning.

"V-Verna! What's wrong!?" Vert was at her side in an instant, and the little girl jumped into her arms.

"S-Sis! Waaaaaaah!" Verna hugged Vert close, crying up a river.

"Verna...?" Vert, of course, had no idea what was going on. The only conclusion she could come to was that Verna had a bad dream of sorts, but the tiny Candidate was crying _very_ hard. "Verna, what's wrong?"

"S-Sis... **hic** S-Sis..." Verna soaked a part of Vert's nightgown with how much she cried. "Y-You... **hic** Y-You're n-not..."

"I'm not what? Please, tell me Verna..." Vert was ready to comfort her little sister however she could, cradling her like a baby.

" **sniffle** Y-You're n-not... d-dead..." Verna choked out, feeling a lump in her throat.

"... Eh?"

"Dearest, what's going on?" A tired Chika came walking in at that moment, wearing black alluring nightwear of her own, along with undone, disheveled green hair. She had quite literally just woken up. "I heard loud crying..."

"Verna seems to have had a nightmare, Chika..." said Vert as she comforted Verna, who was still sniffling.

Chika sat down on Verna's bed, looking concerned. She was really tired, for sure, but she actually cared about Verna now. "What kind of nightmare did she have, Vert?"

"I'm not sure. She's far too upset to speak of it right now..." The sniffling was starting to calm down some, but Verna was nowhere near ready to talk about her nightmare yet.

Chika had taken to comforting Verna as well, gently petting the back of her head.

" **sniffle...** " Verna was gradually starting to feel better. Her sister was alive and well, which meant that everyone else was alive as well. It was all just a horrible dream, and the only way this could be made better is if Cave was here comforting her as well, but that was just Verna being selfish.

"Are you feeling better, Verna?" asked the older sister.

"Y-Yeah..." Verna wiped her eyes, still sniffling a little.

"Can you tell us what your nightmare was about?" asked Chika.

Verna nodded meekly. She went over the brief but scary dream, how Vert died, how she was gonna die, how Nepgear of all people were killing them... it made Verna want to cry even more from how horrible it was.

The older women were completely rigid by the time Verna finished her tale, blank looks in their eyes. They hadn't expected this. At all. Now they had a sniffling Verna, unaware of what the traumatic nightmare actually was.

"W-What was it, s-sis?" asked Verna. She looked up at her sister, who relaxed her posture. "I-It was scary..."

"I know..." Vert closed her eyes, having a look of exasperation. "It is something we all wish could be forgotten, but haters keep bringing it up..." She smiled a little.

"Especially Nepgear haters..." said Chika.

"W-Why?" Verna was confused by their choice of words.

"All I shall say that what you dreamt about was a bad ending for everyone..." Vert hugged Verna close. "For everyone..."

Verna sniffled, not really understanding what her sister meant, but knew it was a very touchy subject depending on how her sister and Miss Chika were acting.

"And whatever you do, don't talk to Nepgear about it. She just got out of therapy a few weeks ago." Chika advised.

"O-Okay..."

There was a few minutes of silence after that, which was used for Verna to get herself back together. She finally stopped sniffling, though she still held Vert close.

 _"I-I promised to protect s-sis, b-but that dream..."_

Verna stopped that thought at once. She tried to convince herself it was just a dream, her sister was cradling her right now after all, but the nightmare was scarily real. It made Verna shake just thinking about it.

Her sister would never die like that. Verna wouldn't allow it.

"S-Sis..., can you sleep in here tonight?'

"Of course."

The Leanbox sisters slept together that night, with Verna wrapped in Vert's comforting embrace. Chika slept in Verna's room as well, since Vert was in there, and snuggled against the older sister. Vert warned her not to do anything too mature.

For the rest of the night, Verna slept free of nightmares, but three words would keep endlessly repeating in her mind.

 _I'm sorry, Verna..._


	27. Chapter 27

"Cave, do you understand why I have called you here?"

The last few days hadn't been very enjoyable for Vert and Cave, because their minds where focused on one thing: Verna's crush on Cave. The SMD Warrior herself had felt very troubled for several reasons, and those reasons were why Vert and Cave were sitting in the CPU's office right now.

"Yes. This about Verna having... affections for me, correct?"

Vert flinched. "Yes. We both know what needs to be done."

Cave frowned, her eyes looking saddened. "I have become aware, but..."

"You don't want to do this." Vert finished. Cave nodded. "I understand completely. I would never wish this on Verna either, but we cannot string her along this fantasy any longer. It may hurt all of us in the end, but it's better for her this way."

The redhead nodded. "I understand Verna's pipe dream. I have read the letters."

"Telling Verna will not be easy, for any of us. She's in her room right now, writing letters..."

Cave grimaced. "But this is a must."

Vert only nodded. "I know this is hard, and I feel horrible putting this upon you..."

"It's no trouble." said Cave dismissively. "Admittedly, I would not want to be the one to break such a young girl's heart..." Vert cringed. "But, as you have said, it needs to be done."

Vert sighed, and slouched. "How has it came to this... I understand that you are fond of Verna, as well."

"She is like a little sister to me."

"Unfortunately, Verna doesn't feel the same..."

"That's what I am here for..." Cave frowned.

"Again, if you don't want to do this..."

"I'm afraid I don't have a choice..." Cave looked saddened. "I care for Verna, so... this is entirely necessary."

"I leave the situation to you then." Vert shared Cave's sad look. "All I ask is for you to let her down easy, please."

"I would not do it any other way."

* * *

When Cave had heard Verna's happy and innocent humming from behind her bedroom door, she started having second thoughts. Causing Verna pain was truly inexcusable, anyone who would do so was completely heartless. And now here the redhead was, ready to break the young girl's heart. Would this make her any different? Her intentions were just and reasonable, but...

"Miss Cave, you're so pretty and nice~."

Cave didn't know if she could actually go through with it. Her willpower was crumbling just from hearing Verna's voice. She had to force herself to knock on the door, a grimace on her face.

"H-Hold on...!" Verna's voice sounded panicky, and Cave could guess that the little blonde was rushing to put some things away. She sighed in a miserable manner.

The door opened a few minutes later, and popping her head out was Verna, looking up at Cave with a most adorable of faces.

"M-Miss Cave...!" She smiled brightly.

"Hello Verna... Gh." Cave had to keep her guilty feelings under control, otherwise she'd never be able to pull this off.

"What are y-you doing here?" Verna didn't notice Cave's brief slip. Instead, she was blushing and twiddling her fingers.

"I merely wanted to see how you were doing. May I come in?" Cave put on a smile.

"S-Sure...!" The nervous Verna let her in, and the redhead could see many an empty bottle or bag. Now that she paid closer attention to Verna, she could see that her outfit had some orange stains, as well as her fingers. She smiled slightly.

 _"Lady Vert was not kidding, what is her stomach made of...?"_ Cave thought incredulously. "Verna..."

"S-Sorry...!" The Candidate started picking up. "I-I was hungry..."

"It's no issue, just remember to pick up after yourself." Cave ruffled her hair.

Verna blushed. "O-Okay..." She rushed to throw the trash away.

Cave wondered how long she could put this off for. She knew that as soon as she uttered the words "I will never love a child that way." Verna's good mood and smile would be destroyed. She didn't want that, she wanted the light mood to last as long as possible. She knew it would probably hurt Verna more but... Cave couldn't help it. She adored Verna's childish innocence, something she rarely saw in the Candidates nowadays, well except maybe Rom, but Verna hadn't seen what the Candidates, or she for that matter, had put up with a while ago. She hadn't seen ASIC, something Cave would forever be grateful for, or the whole Rei business that almost destroyed the dimension all together. Those were things that Verna had only heard of, never seen. As a result, she hadn't exactly 'grown-up' as much as the other Candidates, and Cave never did want to see Verna grow up. Sure, she achieved Hard Drive Divinity, but it was more like a cool super power than a responsibility to Verna.

Cave smiled.

"Miss Cave, what's so funny?" Verna gave the warrior a questioning look, for all she knew, Cave was smiling for no reason.

"It's nothing, I was just... thinking." Cave gave her a one-armed hug, hating herself for what she had to do sooner or later.

"O-Okay..." Verna's face heated up yet again.

Cave hugged her for a few more seconds, then knelt down to Verna's eye level. "Verna..." She sighed.

"W-What is it...?" Verna tilted her head, wondering what Cave wanted to say.

"We... need to talk about something."

"D-Did I do something wrong...?" Verna grew a little worried.

Cave chuckled. "No, not even close. It's just... do you understand what love is, Verna?"

Verna could be renamed Red Sister with how much her face was flushing. "Y-Yes, its when y-you like someone... v-very much..." She looked down at her feet, clearly embarrassed.

"That's the easy explanation, yes..." Cave frowned. She also hated being particularly inexperienced in the field of love. How was 5pb her girlfriend? Cave supposed she shouldn't question it. "But... Mm, how should I explain this...?"

Verna waited, still thinking that she was in trouble of some kind. "I-Is something wrong, Miss Cave...?"

"You could say that..." Cave sighed.

"W-What did I do...?"

"Nothing...!" Cave gave her shoulder a squeeze, a little upset that Verna was blaming herself. "You have done nothing wrong, Verna!"

"T-Then why do you look upset...?"

Cave sighed yet again. Just get it over with, it's like ripping off a band-aid. "Verna... I know."

The Candidate was confused. "K-Know what...?"

"How you feel... towards me." A really painful band-aid.

Verna's eyes widened in shock, another blush forming on her cheeks. "O-Oh..." She looked stunned for a minute, then it gradually turned into excitement. "T-This is great!"

Cave raised an eyebrow. That... wasn't the reaction she was expecting. "What are you...?"

"We can go on dates, we can play all the time, we can cuddle and snug, oooooh, maybe even a kiss...!" Verna's blush deepened with each thought. "Oh oh, maybe even a picnic! I've always wanted one of those!"

"Verna...!" While Cave was relieved that all of Verna's fantasies were innocent in nature, they were just that: fantasies.

"Hm?" Verna stopped her gushing, and looked at Cave all confused. "What's wrong, Miss Cave? We can finally go on dates and stuff! It's gonna be so much fun!"

Cave felt a pang in her heart, because she knew what she had to do now. "Verna, it's... not going to work."

Verna stopped in her tracks, staring. "W-What do you mean?"

"Verna, do you not see the problem. Love between a woman and a child, i-it simply cannot happen...!"

"W-Wha..." Verna looked shocked, hurt even. Cave hated that look. "B-But, we're in love Miss Cave. W-We're supposed to hug and kiss now, j-just like in Cherry Blossom!"

"This is far different from your anime, Verna..." Cave closed her eyes. "You fail to see how impossible it is, your... l-love towards me..."

Verna's lip quivered, and Cave felt another pang. "B-But, we-re s-supposed to be in love. I-I know..."

"Verna, I can never see myself falling for a child..." Cave clenched her fist, hating that she was hurting Verna like this. "I do care about you, very much, but this is too much."

"M-Miss Cave... p-please..." Verna's tone sounded pleading. "W-We can-"

"I'm sorry, Verna. This is over..." Cave could sense what was coming. With a regretful frown, she left.

"..."

"..."

"..."

 _"WAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"_ Verna dropped to the ground, sobbing loudly.

In hearing the wailings of her younger sister, Vert was quick to run to Verna, passing Cave as she did and catching a glimpse of her saddened expression.

"V-Verna, what's wrong!?" asked a panicking Vert as she barged through the door, though she knew the answer already...

"M-Miss Cave, s-she said s-she didn't l-love me... S-She... _W-Waaaaaaaah...!"_ Verna could barely form a sentence.

The older sister embraced the younger one, doing her best to comfort her... "Oh Verna..."

"Hic... W-What did I-I do w-wrong...? sniffle..." Verna cried on her sister's shoulder.

"You have done nothing wrong..." Vert placed a hand on the back of her sister's head, cradling it. "Love can be a truly fickle feeling, I'm afraid... Everyone loves different things and people, and I'm afraid that for Cave, her love has already been promised to another..."

"W-What...!?" The teary eyed Candidate looked at her sister, stunned. "B-But who c-could..." Verna trailed off, remebering a certain blue-haired idol. She had seen the glances, but she ignored them. Verna thought she had a chance...

"5-5pb..."

Vert held her sister a tad firmer. "I know what you must be thinking. And no, you cannot try and take someone's love away... It will only lead to a hollow feeling inside of you. This is something you must accept, Verna, for better or worse."

"B-But..." Verna felt a pang in her heart. "I-It's not... hic...f-fair..."

"I'm so sorry..." That was all Vert could say as she felt a tear go down her own cheek.

The two sisters were silent for a moment after, as Vert allowed her very young sister to let it all out. She would never forgive herself for putting Verna through this heartbreak, but she would do everything in her power to make her sister feel better.

"D-Does this mean I'll... sniffle... n-never be in love...?" Verna asked after the moment passed.

"No. Love can never be extinguised from one's self. You are still so young; I am positive you will find a love of your own some day." Vert offered a gentle smile.

"R-Really...?"

Vert ran a hand through her sister's hair. "Really."

Smiling slightly, Verna buried herself in her sister's shoulder. She was still crying, but not as hard as before.


	28. Chapter 28

_"How is she, Lady Vert?"_

When it came to heartbreak, Vert wouldn't be the first person to go to for advice. Or the second. Or the third. Or the fourth. And so on...

The CPU had never experienced such a thing, and while her pride would always say it was because she was simply too good to dump, the fact of the matter was she had never been **in love** before. She had heard of it, even seen it quite a few times, but the feeling had never so much as grazed her before. As such, she couldn't deal with Verna's sadness properly. Sure, she tried her darn best, being the older sister and loving Verna to death, but she couldn't relate to Verna's misery. Verna wasn't even a year old (technically speaking) yet, and she already tried and failed the quest of love. Vert had yet to travel down such a road herself, but for now, she had to be there for Verna. She needed to put on the Big Sister pants, so to speak.

"You can say that she is... the same." Vert could tell that Cave winced over the phone. "She won't talk to anybody, aside from myself and Chika, she rarely leaves her room, she doesn't smile like she used to... it's beginning to worry me." 'Beginning' would be a heavy understatement. "It's like she's a robot."

There was deafening silence, then Cave sighed. _"I apologize sincerely, Lady Vert. My tactics were... blunt, to say the least."_

"Don't place the blame entirely on yourself, Cave. We both know that-"

 _"This needed to be done."_ Cave finished. _"I am well aware, but I still feel guilty."_

"You are not the only one..."

 _"Do let me know when she gets better. Hearing that Verna is like this..."_

"I will let you know at once."

 _"Thank you."_ Cave hung up, leaving Vert to pinch the bridge of her nose and sigh. Cave had been calling the Basilicom everyday for the past few days, sometimes more than once, to check on Verna's condition. The warrior had been worrying sick, Vert could tell, and the answer had always been the same. Cave had always blamed herself, which Vert didn't want. She was the one who asked Cave to, for lack of a better word, break Verna's heart. If anything, all the guilt should have piled on Vert's head, and it felt like it **did.**

"You look guilty, other me..." The other Vert was there too. She heard about what happened to Verna, and practically rushed over to the Hyperdimension. She was worried, of course, since Verna was technically her little sister too.

"Is it that obvious?" Vert sighed miserably.

"I hope you realize that I am worried as well. My darling little sister..." The other Vert slumped.

What were two Verts to do, when their little sister who was clearly in pain kept insisting she was all right? Verna was as stubborn as she was adorable.

"You know something is wrong when Verna turns down Doritos..." Chika came walking in, looking saddened as she held an unopened bag of Verna's favorite snack.

Vert's eyes went wide."Oh my, this is worse than I thought." Verna _never_ turned down Doritos. In fact, she was usually the one who bought them.

"I tried speaking with her, but she kept insisting that she was fine..."

"Let me talk to her..." Vert took the bag.

"I'll come with you." The other Vert followed. She nodded, and off they went to see their sister.

* * *

"M-Miss Cave..."

Verna was laying on her bed, clutching her Cave plushie and feeling miserable. Her heart ached, a foreign feeling for the very young girl. A lot of this, the heartbreak, was very new to the Candidate. Her anime and VN's had taught her that love was supposed to last forever, but it was like real life had slapped her in the face. She hated real life.

"M-Mm..." She only hugged the plushie harder, feeling her eyes well up. "I-It's not fair... **sniffle..."**

"Verna?" The sound of her older sisters voice, it didn't matter which one, caused Verna to dry up the waterworks immediately. She didn't want Vert to see she was still hurting, it would only cause her to worry more. If she had been paying attention however, she would have known that Vert was worried regardless.

"Y-Yeah...?" She tried to put on a brave face regardless.

"We're coming in..." The door swung open, and **both** her sisters came walking in, looking anxious. Verna was a little surprised to see the other Vert. "O-Other sis? What're you doing here...?"

The twin Vert's each took a seat beside Verna. The Ultradimension Vert spoke first. "I was worried about you, my dear sister. I had heard about what happened between you and Cave..."

Verna flinched.

"Verna..." Her actual sister began. "You know that I'm always here for you. If you are still aching over this, if you are _hurting_ , please, tell me. Tell _us_."

Both Vert's gave the little girl sympathetic looks, ready to comfort her in whatever way they could.

"S-Sis..." Verna's brave face had almost broken when her sister had said that. It took some willpower to not cry. Verna wanted to be stronger than that. "I-I'm... fine. R-Really..."

The Hyperdimension Vert sighed, expecting this kind of response. "Verna, please... don't lie to me. You know how I feel about that." She tried to sound stern, but it was next to impossible for Vert to be mad at her little marshmallow of a sister for any period of time.

"I'm n-not." Verna kept up her brave face. "I-I really am fine..."

"Oh Verna..." The other Vert gave her a hug. "You really are stubborn, my darling sister..."

"M-Mm..." Verna was going for slight annoyance, but she sounded pitiful.

"You really are like Vert, in some negative ways too..."

"What was that?"

"Nothing~."

* * *

"M-Miss Vert, can I talk to Verna...?"

Rom's sudden appearance was no surprise to Vert. If anything, she was surprised the Lowee Candidate hadn't shown up sooner. She gave her a warm smile.

"Of course, she's in her room. Do be cautious, however, she is... not feeling very well." _"And you came to make her feel better..."_ Vert felt herself squeal internally at the thought. She remained composed on the outside.

Rom nodded. "O-Okay, I just wanted to... check on her."

"I'm assuming you know about what happened between... Verna and Cave?" Vert couldn't help but wince.

Rom shared the wince. "Y-Yeah..."

Vert nodded. "I understand. Verna has been going through some difficult times."

"I-I know..." Rom had a saddened look.

"Also, I am surprised to see Ram isn't with you, Rom." Vert had never seen the twins separated before, so this was quite a surprise.

"S-She wanted to come, but I told her to stay..."

"Oh? That's even more surprising. I was under the impression you two were joined at the hip..." Even though they had gotten more independent over the years, you couldn't have Rom without Ram, and vice versa.

"I-I wanted to do this myself..." Rom looked embarrassed.

"Hm..." Vert had to suppress a grin. "Very well, I can understand why you'd want to come alone. She would never admit it, but I get the feeling Verna prefers you a little more than Ram."

Rom blushed at that statement. "R-Really...? That sounds..."

"Nice?"

"Y-Yeah..."

Vert gave a small laugh. "Well, I do not wish to keep you. Verna is in her room, as I've said."

"T-Thank you..." Nodding again, Rom set off for Verna's room, while the other Vert, seated on the couch, looked interested.

"What is Rom doing here, me?"

"She's come to mend Verna's wounded heart, me."

"...We need better nicknames."

"That we do."

 **Verna's Room**

"V-Verna...?" Rom knocked on the big door. "You okay...?"

That was a stupid question, of course Verna wasn't okay! Cave had broken her heart, and that served to shatter Rom's own heart when she heard the news.

"Y-Yeah..." That was a lie, Rom knew it.

"I-I'm coming in..." Rom pushed open the door, and found that the room was rather dark. Even the curtains were closed. In the middle of the gihugic bed, was Verna. Even in the dark, Rom could see that Verna had been crying.

She quickly ran to the bed. "V-Verna..."

The littlest Candidate had her back turned to Rom, still squeezing the life out of her Cave plushie. She didn't turn to look at Rom, making her feel bad.

"Verna..." Rom crawled up on the bed, letting her hat fall off as she rubbed the young girls back. Verna shifted a little from the touch.

"R-Rom..." Verna mumbled her name, sounding miserable. It seems the front she put up was crumbling.

"You're not okay..." Rom sounded sympathetic, and that's because she felt bad for Verna, if it wasn't obvious before.

 **"sniffle..."** Verna sat up, the Cave plushie still in her hands, and wiped her eyes. "I-I'm fine..."

"Verna..." Rom shook her head, feeling more bad. "Miss Cave, s-she..., um..."

Verna winced. "Y-Yeah..." She snuggled the plushie once more.

"D-Do you know why...?"

"...S-Sis told me Miss C-Cave was already i-in love..." She sniffled. "A-And I was too young..."

"Mm..." Rom gave Verna a comforting hug. "L-Love can be bad sometimes, but m-most of the time it's really really good...!"

Verna's head rested on Rom's shoulder. "I-I only got the bad..."

Rom gave her a pat. "You only fell in love once, silly. Sometimes... life likes to mess with you. When you love someone, sometimes they don't love you back..."

Verna sniffled again.

"But that doesn't mean it's the end of the world..." Rom hugged her a little tighter. "You can find love again, even in really strange places. Sis fell for Miss Kei."

Verna smiled a little. "Y-Yeah, she did..."

"And sometimes..." Rom smiled warmly. "Somebody will love you back, even if they don't see it at first..."

"T-That sounds nice..." Verna sighed, not picking up on the subtle signs. "W-Who would fall in love with me, though? I-I'm just a kid..."

"Love isn't impossible, Verna, and besides..." Rom lifted Verna's face up. "I'm a kid too..."

Verna gave her a questioning look. "W-What do you mean? D-Did someone fall in love... w-with me..?"

"Mm..." Rom 'responded' by giving Verna a quick peck on the cheek, making the tiny blonde blush. "Guess..."

It took Verna a moment, for she was so young, but when she noticed that look in Rom's eyes, combined with her vast knowledge of yuri anime...

She put the pieces together.

"R-Rom...!" Verna jumped into her arms, almost knocking her off the bed.

 _"Hweh!"_ Rom **did** fall backwards onto the bed, but she was smiling. "D-Did you guess...?"

"You..." Verna was blushing. "You... l-love me...?"

Rom nodded, sharing the blush. "Uh-huh, for a little while now..."

"W-Why didn't you tell me...?"

"C-Confessing is hard..." Rom looked sheepish. "A-And you fell in love with Miss Cave, so I couldn't..."

"Oh..." Verna gave her a hug. "S-Sorry..."

"It's okay, you didn't know..." Rom, of course, returned the hug. "B-Better late than never..."

"I-Is it... okay...?" Verna was wary. "I-I mean, you're older than me..."

Rom giggled. "Of course it's okay, we're both kids, silly..."

"Yay...~!" Verna snuggled against Rom. "We're in love~!"

"Ehehe, y-yeah we are...~!" Rom adorably blushed.

"Can we, um..." Verna looked a little nervous. "C-Can we kiss...?"

Rom giggled again, though she was blushing profusely. "Y-Yeah, we can...~."

"O-Okay..." Verna leaned in, and shared her first kiss with Rom, their lips lightly pressing together but never going further than that. Both girls felt rather embarrassed, but neither wanted to stop. It was just too good.

Verna did stop momentarily, and that was to say the following: "Ehehe, it's even better than the anime~!"

Rom was a happy, giggling mess when Verna stopped kissing her. "I learned how to do this from Blanc's books...! I-I've never kissed anyone before. I-It's really nice...~."

"...C-Can we do it again?"

"Y-Yeah...~!"

And so the two resumed, both happy and equally thankful that they were alone, or else they would have died from embarrassment.

Unbeknownst to them, however, a certain big sister had taken a picture of the scene with her phone, trying her hardest to keep her squeals inside.

 _"Too adorable~!"_ She whispered to herself, then ran off to show the picture to her other self. Oh Vert.


	29. Chapter 29

"W-What is the meaning of this!?"

Low shares were the bane of every CPU's existence. It meant a multitude of things: they weren't doing a good enough job, they're new consoles had been lackluster, they failed to meet the needs of their people, and so on. It meant they needed to improve, or it would have dire consequences.

But, when Vert had woken up and had seen that her shares were in the single digits (and it was the last thing she **ever** wanted to wake up to), she couldn't understand what had happened.

"The last time my Shares were this low was because of the incident with Underling, but... I-I had made up for that..." Vert stared at the chart in disbelief. Leanbox was feebly at the bottom, while the other Nations were resting comfortably with significant Share values. Even Planeptune, who was (formerly) the lowest, sat at a 25% Share value.

Leanbox? They had 5%.

 _Why!?_

"W-What have I done wrong...?" Vert moaned, placing her head in her hands. Already, she was feeling weak. "The Leanbox One is doing fairly well, my people have looked past the Underling incident, I have done the best I can... _What has caused this drastic decrease!?"_ Vert felt like crying.

"Dearest?" A concerned Chika walked in, noticing Vert's distress. "What's wrong?"

"Take a look, Chika..." Vert sighed miserably, and handed her the Share chart.

Chika looked it over, and her eyes went wide. "W-What...!?"

Vert grimaced. "Leanbox is at an all time low..."

Chika paled. "W-Why...?"

"I have no idea..." Vert leaned onto her desk for support. "B-But I am feeling very weak..."

"Darling!" Chika supported the weary CPU immediately. "Y-You need to rest...!"

"B-But our Shares...!"

"I will find out the issue in time, right now, you are in **no** condition to work, not until you adjust!"

Vert frowned. She wanted to get Leanbox's Shares back up as soon as possible, but there was no way to sway Chika once her health became an issue. She had to give in for now. "A-Alright..."

Chika relaxed. "Thank you."

On the way to her room, Vert had noticed that the Basilicom was oddly... quiet. "Chika..., where is Verna?" She started looking around.

"Cave picked her up this morning. She and 5pb decided to celebrate her new-found relationship with Rom via pizza party. They're so young and innocent together, don't you think~?"

Vert smiled. "Why yes, I am elated as ever to see Verna's bond with Rom develop like this~! Also, it is very gracious of Cave and 5pb to take her out!" Vert herself was grateful, for the last thing she wanted was to have Verna worry over her as well. Right now, she needed to rest.

"Would you like me to give you a massage, darling~?"

Vert just sighed. "As I've said before, do not go into actions too mature for the story, Chika..."

"No promises~."

Vert sighed again.

* * *

"Hm, this is... troublesome."

Cave had spent the better part of her day with Verna, which always served to swell her heart. The warrior normally never did things like this, if ever, but when she heard Verna had risen over her heartbreak... Cave felt it was a must. Right now, they were at a Cheese-O-Chucks, where Verna was having fun playing with Rom and a few other kids. Rom also had her own chaperone in her older sister, Blanc, though she mostly kept to herself with a book, since this place was noisy and smelled of artificial cheese. All in all, it had been a good time.

 **Had** been a good time, because Cave had just received a message from IF on her phone, which displayed the current Share chart. Following that was a text.

 _"Things went from zero to a hundred real freaking quick. You know what's going on? 'Cause I sure as hell don't."_

Wide-eyed, Cave responded with _"I do not."_ and continued to stare at the chart. Planeptune had never even gotten this low before. "Things are looking dire..." Cave was more than a little worried, of course. Leanbox's Shares had decreased _so fast_ in such little time. "What has caused this sudden decrease!?"

"Miss Cave...?" Verna walked up, wearing a balloon hat and eating pizza, looking a little concerned. "Are you okay? You look upset..."

Cave sighed, briefly putting the phone away offering the little girl a smile. There was no need to spoil the good mood for her, after all. "I am fine, little one. I was just... surprised by something, that's all."

"O-Okay..." Verna felt something was off. Cave ruffled her hair.

"Go, play with the other kids..." Cave glanced over to the mascot, who was currently getting beaten by said children. "O-Or you could take a break and eat. You're choice..." She sweatdropped.

Verna only nodded, and sat herself a few seats away from Cave, munching on her pizza and downing it with her soda. Cave was happy the little Candidate had **some** common sense.

"Cave..." 5pb walked up then, who had some pepperoni in her hair. "I don't like this place very much..."

Cave chuckled, and pulled the offending food out of the idol's hair. "It makes Verna happy, and that is enough for me. Who cares if the pizza is below average and the prices are unreasonably high?"

5pb giggled, sitting herself on Cave's lap. "You should see their slogan. _Where a kid can be a kid... for the right price."_

Cave chuckled dryly. "Figures..." She looked back towards Verna, smiling fondly as she appeared to be having a balloon sword fight with Rom. "It is worth it though, for Verna's happiness..."

"Yeah..." Lyrica suddenly looked solemn. "I-I got a message from IF..."

Cave grimaced. "Is it about the Share situation?"

"Y-Yes..." 5pb showed her the message. "I-I don't know what's going on, L-Leanbox was just fine a few days ago!"

"Hm..." **Ring.** At that moment, Cave got a text back from IF.

 _"I figured... I'm looking into the situation right now, planning on visiting Lady Vert later. Something's up, I just know it."_

Cave found herself agreeing with IF. Parting with a simple _"I wish you luck."_ , Cave put her phone away, silently worrying over this new sudden predicament.

"This happened so suddenly..." 5pb was in disbelief. "H-How did this happen? Lady Vert didn't do anything wrong...!"

"I don't know..." Cave wrapped her arm around the idol's waist. "I **do** know that this simply did not happen on its own. Something is out of place, as IF suspects."

"Y-You think someone is behind this?"

"Most likely, but this can't possibly be the work of a single person..." Cave was still in the dark about this whole situation, as was everyone else. "We won't throw that possibility out the window, however. IF is looking into it as we speak."

"I-I hope she finds something..." 5pb rested her head on Cave's shoulder. "T-This whole thing is scary..."

"I know..." Cave offered her comfort, but the truth was, she was scared as well. Leanbox was suffering, and there was no doubt Vert had already been affected by this. She wondered what the CPU was doing to fix this, but Cave could only hope it would be fixed quickly.

The fact that she and 5pb, IF included, were Leanbox natives was even more terrifying. This was their **home**. If Leanbox fell... Cave didn't even want to think about that.

 **Ring.** Cave received another text from IF.

 _"I found something. You might wanna join me on that visit. This looks serious..."_

 _"I will be right there."_ Cave responded back.

"W-What is it...?" asked 5pb.

"It seems we have to cut our celebration short, Lyrica. IF has found something, and we shall meet her at Leanbox's Basilicom."

The idol shot up immediately. "L-Let's go then!"

Cave nodded. "Verna!"

The little girl, who had been playing with Rom, ran up to Cave. "Y-Yeah?"

"We have to go back home now, little one."

Verna's face fell. "Aw, but we just got here!"

"So we have..." They had only been here for half an hour. Cave felt bad. "But something serious has happened. We need to get home at once, your sister is in trouble."

When Cave pulled the Vert card, Verna forgot all about the party. "W-What's wrong with sis!?" She was instantly worried.

"I will tell you on the way back. Let us go for now." Verna nodded.

"V-Verna, what's going on...?" Rom came up to her.

"I gotta go, Rom. Something bad is going on..." Verna was still worried.

"S-Something bad...!?" Rom shared her worry. "W-What's wrong...?"

"I dunno..." Verna answered truthfully. "I just know that sis is in trouble, s-so I gotta go..."

"Oh no..." Rom gave her a hug. "I-I hope things work out, whatever happened..."

"M-Me too, I'm sorry..."

"It's okay, Blanc was getting ready to leave anyway..." Rom looked towards her older sister, who was half covered in cheese and pepperoni and ready to blow. Ram was doodling on the table. "W-We gotta leave before there's casualties..."

Verna giggled. "I-I'll see you later..."

"Bye, Verna..." Rom gave her a kiss on the cheek, making Verna blush.

"B-Bye, Rom..."

 **Meanwhile...**

"M-MAGES.?"

5pb was certainly surprised to see her younger sister... wearing a mouse mascot costume.

"... It is not my most proudest moment..." The costume was covered in cheese, grease and crayon, and may have been stuck to the floor thanks to drying soda.

"U-Uh..." The idol had no words.

"Don't ask, the pay is better than you would expect."

"R-Right..."

"Would you like to accompany us, MAGES.?" asked Cave. "We are going to Leanbox's Basilicom in a moment's notice."

"I would love to, but what is the occasion?"

Cave went over the Share situation with MAGES., whose eyes were as wide as saucers when she learned how dire the situation was.

"I see..." MAGES. slipped out of her costume. Literally, she still had her outfit on underneath. "It is my break anyway, I will come and help however I can."

"Thank you..." Cave motioned for Verna to come, and the little Candidate stayed by the redhead's side. She looked scared.

"Don't be afraid, little one..." Cave tousled her hair. "Your sister will be fine."

"A-Are you sure?" Verna sniffled.

"Yes." Cave wanted to be sure, but in reality she didn't know. And it frustrated her.

 **"sniffle..."** She didn't want to upset Verna though, due to her current state of emotion and love towards Vert.

"Don't cry, Verna..." Cave bent down and wiped her tears away. "Please."

"Mm..." Verna hugged Cave's leg, terribly afraid over what could have happened to her sister. Cave gave her a comforting hug.

"Shall we depart?" MAGES. asked, retrieving her hat.

"Yes." Cave said simply, and the group of Leanboxians left the disastrous pizzeria and headed to the Basilicom. On the way, they ran into IF herself, looking distressed.

"How bad?" asked Cave.

"Severely..." IF had a grim look as she showed the Share chart. Leanbox's Shares were gradually decreasing. Right now, the nation was at 4%, and things weren't looking any better. "This is a new low for Leanbox. Not even **Planeptune** has gotten this low before." She bit her nails.

"You said you had something?" asked MAGES.

"Yeah, as it turns out..." IF pulled her phone out. "There've been some pretty nasty rumors spreading around."

"What!?" Cave looked at the phone, downright appalled at some of the derogatory rumors against Vert. She was disgusted.

"How can anyone believe this!?" 5pb was aghast. "M-Most of these are disrespectful, a-and outright not true!"

"Large-breasted harlot, idiotic bimbo..." MAGES. read over some of the comments. "Even... u-unflattering pictures..." The Mage blushed. "H-How did this person even acquire these!?"

"I don't know..." IF sighed. "Whoever posted these must really have it out for Lady Vert, and people are believing this guy! Ugh!" She slumped forward. "We gotta fix this, **fast**."

Verna heard the whole thing in silence, and was trembling in fear. There was some mean person going around saying very bad things about her big sis, and Vert was suffering because of it! Verna's tiny fists clenched, angry tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Don't be upset, Verna." Cave gave her another hug. "It'll be alright."

While the group was heading to the Basilicom, with IF and MAGES. assessing the situation, Cave noticed something... off with Verna.

"Verna, are you feeling well?" In particular, she noticed that Verna looked paler than normal. Too pale.

"I-I do feel funny..." Verna gripped her tummy, groaning a little. "I-I think I ate too much..."

"Yes, perhaps you did..." Cave felt worry build up inside her as she held Verna closer. This wasn't good, this was **not** good on so many levels. On the way back, Verna kept complaining of 'feeling funny', which served to worry the redhead even more. Even after they got to the Basilicom, she was more worried about Verna than anything else.

"Lady Vert?" IF called out. They didn't see a Vert, but they saw a Chika rushing to her bedroom with tea. Not a good sign. They rushed after the Oracle, and normally Verna would have been in her sister's bedroom by now, but she was...

"I-I don't feel so good..." Verna clutched her stomach, moaning. "I-I think I'm getting sick..."

"Verna..." Cave's worry doubled when she heard that, then proceeded to lift her up like a baby and carry her to Vert's room.

"Oh geez..." IF and the others were met with the sight of Vert, looking just as pale as Verna, laying on her bed feebly. Chika was practically like a maid, if she wasn't before, tending to her every need and in frantic worry while doing so, despite Vert's wishes for her to calm down.

"Chika, please... I'm not dying... Oh, hello IF~." Vert greeted the brunette warmly. "Lyrica, Cave, even MAGES.? What brings you all here?" Vert had a feeling though...

"You should already have a feeling that we didn't come over just to say hi..."

"SIS!" Verna, despite her condition, jumped out of Cave's arms and rushed to hug her sister. "A-Are you okay!?"

"I am... well, 'fine' would not be appropriate, but I am functioning."came first to Vert.

That did nothing to calm Verna's worry. She was nearly in tears as she hugged Vert tightly.

"IF found something..." MAGES. went on. "It appears someone has been sabotaging you, Lady Vert."

"What...!?" Vert struggled to sit up. "Who...?"

"We don't know..." IF showed Vert her phone. "We _do_ know that people are believing whoever this is. Honestly, it's like people have no brains these days..."

"It's as if they are stupid for the sake of plot..." MAGES. added.

"D-Don't say such rude things about the citizens!" 5pb chided, but... she was kind of agreeing with her friends.

Vert only sighed, cradling Verna's head as she sniffled. "Citizens are far more gullible than I last remember, and this mystery person is using that to his or her advantage..."

"You think this is the work of one person?" Cave asked.

"I'm not certain, but whoever they are needs to be stopped as soon as possible, before the situation becomes irreparable..."

The Leanboxians nodded.

"Mm..." Verna groaned.

"Verna?" Vert didn't like that noise. "Are you alright...?"

"I-I don't feel so good..." Verna's skin was a deathly pale color, looking clammy and exhausted.

"P-Perhaps you should lay down...!" Vert didn't like the way her sister was acting one bit. She ignored her own condition to tend to Verna. She came first, Verna _always_ came first to Vert.

"Y-Yeah..." Her eyes were getting droopy. "I'm feeling... s-sleepy..."

"Verna, please stay awake...!" Realizing how serious her sister's condition was, Vert shook her sister by the shoulders, but it was in vain.

"It's not... the good kind of sleepy... e-either..."

"VERNA!" Cave rushed to her, but it was too late.

Verna collapsed on the floor, causing everyone in the room to circle around her in a panic.

"NO! I **will** not settle for a Bad Ending when it comes to m-my Verna...!" Vert's voice broke as she tried to shake her little sister awake. "Verna, please, d-don't do this to me! **Verna!** "

"Lady Vert, calm down!" IF shouted. "We won't get anything done by panicking!"

"B-But, Verna has-"

"I know..." IF put a hand on her shoulder. "She's fine, Vert. She's... just gone comatose by the looks of it. She's still breathing."

Vert choked. "This... This cannot be happening..."

"We need more help...' Chika cradled the sleeping Candidate. "At this rate, you will soon follow Verna..."

"The other CPUs." MAGES. suggested. "Surely they will be willing?"

"Maybe when they hear what happened to Verna..." 5pb was hopeful.

"It's better safe than sorry, I will place a call..." Vert struggled to remain composed, placing a kiss on Verna's forehead before pulling out her phone. Vert could barely keep her mind straight as she made a call to the other Nations. With Verna becoming the center of her life, she cast aside her pride when it came to certain matters, which is why she had made the call in the first place.

"Please, please pick up...!" Vert was anxious.

 **Riiiing...**

 _"Hello...? What do you want, Vert, I'm kind of busy getting everything pizza off of me..."_ Blanc had been the one to answer. Vert had never been so happy to hear her in all her life.

"Verna...! V-Verna, Oh Goddess, s-she has...!" Vert could barely form a sentence.

 _"Calm down, Vert."_ instructed Blanc. _"What happened to Verna...?"_

 **One explanation later...**

 _"... I'll call the others... Put the little one to a bed, and wait for us to come over."_

"Thank you so much, Blanc..., I owe you-"

 _"No, you don't. Think nothing of it."_ The call shut off, leaving Vert to carry Verna off to her bed, while the others encircled around the sleeping girl, worry a permanent part of their features at this point.

"There there, Verna~... Let's just set you down on something fluffy in the meantime." Vert kept on a brave face as she set her sister down. If there were anything good to come from this mess, it was that Verna appeared to be sleeping peacefully.

Vert prayed to the True Goddess that this nightmare would be over soon.


	30. Chapter 30

Vert had been close, so very close, to breaking down while waiting for the other CPUs to arrive. To her, it felt like the whole world had turned against her. Not only were her Shares dropping to almost record low levels, but her dear, darling little sister had suffered because of it. Verna had done nothing to deserve it, nothing whatsoever..., yet she was in her bed sleeping, sleeping in a possibly endless slumber.

Vert stroked Verna's hair, tears threatening to spill, despite the brave face she put on and the tear stains already present on her cheeks. Verna had been a gift, no, a treasure to Vert. Verna meant everything to her, she **was** everything to her. She almost lost her once, and now fate was being tempted a second time...

No, it wasn't going to be that way. Vert would never allow something so horrible to happen. If something unspeakable happened to Verna, it would absolutely devastate her.

That's why things were going to get better. They _had_ to, for Verna's sake and for her own. Vert didn't want to get emotional, but this was her little sister they were dealing with here. Vert would go to hell and back if it meant that Verna would be safe, and she knew, even though the very thought gave Vert a heart attack, Verna would do the same for her.

Initially, it took a bit of time for her fellow CPUs to arrive. The first to show up was, unsurprisingly, Blanc, with her sisters...

"VERNA...!" Rom in particular rushed to Verna's side as soon as she touched down. "W-What happened, s-she was j-just fine an hour a-ago..." She was clearly upset, having seen Verna awake and cheerful not so long ago. Seeing her like this, not being able to wake up..., it broke Rom's heart. No, that wasn't good enough, it _shattered_ her heart, and whatever was left was eaten by a Dogoo. Speaking of which...

 _"Dogoo..."_ Verna's pet Dogoo, Goopy, had seated itself closely to Verna. Its face showed concern, despite its lack of presence. _"Dogoo..."_ It licked Verna's face, but she didn't respond.

"D-Dummy, don't get all... w-weepy..." Ram tried to keep a strong front, but it quickly crumbled as soon as she caught sight of the comatose Verna. She crumpled to her knees, taking the sleeping Candidate's hand. "D-Darn it, Verna... What the heck's going on...?!" Ram lets a few tears fall.

"Vert..." Blanc walked up to the CPU, who was being comforted by Chika. "The others will be here in a few minutes. How's Verna holding up?"

Blanc instantly regretted asking that question when she saw Vert's face twist in response. Chika was glaring at her as well, making the Loweean CPU feel more like utter crap. "Ugh..., poor choice of words... I didn't mean-"

"It's all right... I knew you meant well." Vert mumbled. "Verna..., she isn't in any sort of pain..., sh-she appears to be sleeping peacefully..."

Blanc cast a look at Verna, where everyone had crowded her bed, including her own sisters. "I see..." She was glad for that, at least.

"Yes..." Vert went silent. Blanc narrowed her eyes at the normally proud and composed CPU, who looked to be trying hard to maintain said composure. Granted, it wasn't every day that this sort of dire situation happened, and Blanc was sure that she'd be fighting to stay calm if Rom and Ram fell into a coma like Verna did. She cringed, and shoved that thought away.

Next up was Neptune, with Noire behind her a split second later, looking frustrated.

"Dammit, that doesn't count!" exclaimed a pissed Black Heart.

"I don't see why that is, I clearly won." said Purple Heart with a smug tone.

"Y-You did not! You cheated, I-I just don't know how yet!"

Nepgear and Uni sighed in the background, while Blanc face-palmed. Leave it to those two...

Of course, the silly moment didn't last long, as the latest arrivals soon caught eye of the comatose Verna.

"Oh goodness, no!" Nepgear ran to the bed.

"Wh-What the hell...?!" Uni joined her, surrounding their fellow Candidate. Her and Gear were in shock.

"This is..." Noire had no words. She barely knew Verna, but seeing a small, innocent girl like her suffer such a devastating effect..., it made her feel horrible for not trying to get to know Verna sooner.

"I don't think a Nep quip can fix this upper..." Neptune didn't have much to say about this serious situation, because pretty much everything that came out of her mouth was nonsense. "Well, flibbidy dibbidiy to you too, Mr. Author." My point exactly.

Unfortunately, no dose of fourth wall jokes could help lift the heaviness of the situation. It came so suddenly and quickly, and it hit far too close to home for Vert and the other Leanboxians. One of them, IF, had never even met her before, but she wished she had. This wasn't exactly the greatest of first meetings.

For Vert and Chika, it hit them devastatingly hard. Verna..., she had become their lives now. She completed the little Leanbox family, like a missing piece of their puzzle. If they lost Verna, things would never be the same. It would be impossible to try and recover from such a massive loss.

Cave was close, if not equal, to the CPUs' and Oracle's misery. Verna was like a little sister of her own, so to speak. Sure, there was the episode where Verna actually fell in love with her, but Cave had looked past that. It was what led to the celebration in the first place.

Now... Cave couldn't even think it without her heart aching. Verna was **too young** and **too innocent** to have _this_ happen to her. If she ever found the person who was behind all of this, she would annihilate them, no questions asked. It was a good thing she was an expert at keeping her emotions in check, or else she would have been crying just as much as Rom or Vert, possibly even more.

MAGES. was much like Cave, keeping her cool in the face of danger, though in the case of the Mad Magician, her lack of reaction was more out of not having such a connection with the little Candidate to begin with. She may have been 5pb's younger sister, who incidentally was showing much more worry about Verna's state of being, but still the magician keeps a neutral expression. This wasn't a bad thing though. MAGES. was a decent human being behind all her quirkiness, as she coolly thinks about the matter at hand.

"Okay, we can't stand around being emo all day!" As expected, Neptune broke the silence. "We need to find the buster behind this chain of curious events pronto!"

Neptune's call for action brought many a sad feeling on hold, if only due to how she words things.

"Neptune's right..." Blanc continued. "But who would want to sabotage Leanbox to this extent?"

"Maybe someone has it out for her?" Noire theorized. "Vert, have you made any, uh, enemies?"

Vert looked a little offended by the way that question was phrased, but she quickly let it go. Now was not the time for petty feelings. "None that I can recall, unfortunately..."

"Hm..." Blanc got to thinking. "Hey, did... Verna, by any chance, piss someone off?"

Vert was about to shake her head, when she let out a small gasp. A sudden, distant memory popped up in her, reminding her of not one, but _two_ separate occasions where Verna ran into a certain someone, one that lead to Vert beating her and landing her in the hospital. When Vert thought about it... it made too much sense.

It scared, no, _terrified_ Vert to think about. She had never thought of her as a threat, not since ASIC fell, but now...

" _Underling..._ " It sounded like a whisper. "W-We had some troublesome encounters with her in the past..."

"Yeah, we heard about the incident..." said IF.

"Would it really be enough for her to strike against Leanbox so aggressively?" asked MAGES..

"It's the only lead we have..." began Cave. "If Underling truly is linked to these events, then we must find her as quickly as possible."

"B-But, she's usually the one who finds _us...!_ " said 5pb. "Where could we even find Underling?"

"Already on it." IF was making calls. "Hey, Nevi? It's me, I think we have something..."

Cave cast one last glance at Verna's bed, clenching her fists.

 _"I will not stop until you awake, that is a promise... Verna."_

* * *

Underling wasn't what you would call a good girl. She was just about the last definition of 'Good girl' in the dictionary, or any dictionary. In fact, she just robbed a McBlancolds for a measly burger and small fries. Everybody gets hungry, after all, and Underling was flat broke.

She lived in an alley, no joke, and sat herself in a specialized cardboard box she called 'Home' This was how things have been going for her for a long time now, and Underling was never one to dwell on that sort of thing, so she just unwrapped her stolen burger.

"Damn, this looks good~." Underling smacked her lips. "Come to mama!"

Unfortunately for Underling, fate had different plans for her this fine day. Instead of devouring the food and satisfying her hunger, Underling found herself hoisted from her box and slammed against the wall, with a scissor blade pointed against her neck.

"W-W-What the hell!?" Underling gulped in confusion and fear. "I-I-I didn't know McBlancolds security was **this** intense! I-I-I was hungry, dammit!"

 **"Silence."** Came Cave's cold, hard voice. Underling whimpered a little. **"You have five seconds to explain yourself, before I plunge this blade into your neck."**

Okay, Underling was pretty sure she peed herself.

"Wow Cave, way to be theatric." IF walked in behind her. Her tone was teasing, but she looked a little shocked, possibly due to Cave's display of violence.

Cave smiled a little. "They say a nice dose of fear is healthy for you. Now then..." She still had Underling in a steel-hard grip. Yes, she was holding the girl up with only one hand, it shouldn't be much of a surprise. Her tone was a bit softer though. "As I've said before, you have a limited amount of time to answer before I eviscerate you. So, choose your words wisely." Didn't make her any less threating.

Underling gulped down a gulp. "L-Look, it was just a damn burger! I-I won't do it again, j-just don't kill me!"

Cue collective comical facefaulting from our heroes. The only one who remained composed was Cave, and even then she looked flabbergasted.

"... Is this a joke? Because I am not laughing."

"E-Eh? Aren't you here about the- Er, n-never mind..." Underling could tell by Cave's face that she had no idea what the hell she was talking about, so she changed the subject. "What the hell are you here for, then?"

"You have to be kidding..." Cave sounded frustrated. "It all links back to you, so don't pretend to be an idiot. It will only get you into more trouble."

"Look, I have **no** idea what the hell you're goin' on about, so if I can just..." Underling tried to break free, but Cave's grip could have been compared to that of an alien super-man, or even a martial artist who can power up several times. "O-Or I can stay here, t-that's fine too..."

"I am not playing games with you, Underling..." Cave grumbled.

"Neither am I. I got no idea what you're talking about, really."

"Yeah right..." IF was doubtful, for good reason. "So I'm guessing you have **nothing** to do with all the rumors, plagiarism, pictures... you don't know about any of that?"

Underling's eyes widened. "Holy shit, she-"

Cave's grip tightened. "So you **DO** know?"

"U-Uh..., kinda?"

"Explain."

Underling went silent for a moment, looking like she was trying to sort some things out in her head, and how to say them properly.

Cave waited, wearing the same stern expression as Underling pondered. Truth be told, her patience was wearing thinner than a piece of hair. If she didn't say anything soon...

"Alright, look..." Underling finally said after five minutes. "I ain't involved in this, but I do know who's behind it all."

IF raised an eyebrow. "If you're not involved in it, then how can you know who's been doing all of this?"

"Nepgeo, a girl I used to be partnered with back in my ASIC days. She's, well, not really much of a friend. Hell, I don't even know what we are anymore." She looked a little flustered.

"Go on." Cave demanded.

"For the last few months, Geo's been keeping me updated on some sort 'Master Plan' she's got going on. She's still a total ASIC fangirl, and since they fell... She's been looking for all sorts of ways to bring them back."

Cave and IF's eyes widened.

"Why didn't you divulge this information to any of us?" asked Cave.

"Let's be honest here, would any of you broads have believed me if I **did** tell you?" They frowned, but Underling had a point. "Besides, I didn't take her seriously before. I was under the impression that she was just some lazy, nymphomaniac bimbo. Seriously, I remember when she hit on this brunette-"

"We don't want to hear it." stated Cave, secretly flustered. "Why did this 'Nepgeo' share all this information with you, and what is she planning?"

"We were both former ASIC members, so I guess she thought she could trust me. Hey, I'm not the biggest fan of the CPUs, but I gave up on trying to bring them down a long time ago. Geo however, she never gave up. With what she told me, I thought she went insane. What she's planning, well, she didn't specify on that, but form what I got from her, she wants to take down the Nations one-by-one. And from the looks of it, she started in Leanbox."

"Nepgeo..." IF pursed her brow in remembering who that was. "She's an unforgettable sort; looks like Gear, only with a heck of a naughtier mindset. But how would someone who sticks out like that do all _this...?_ "

Underling shrugged. "What else can I say? I bet she found a way to drop off the grid. Out of sight, out of mind."

"And why should we believe any of this?" IF was still in doubt. "How do we know you're not just lying to avert suspicion?"

Cave pressed her scissor blade closer to Underling's neck.

"Y-You can check my phone, here!" Underling reached in her pocket and pulled out a grey UPhone. "S-She messages me on Yipe a lot."

"Wow, I didn't even know you could afford a phone." said IF.

"I didn't, I stole it."

"Of course you did..."

Cave reluctantly dropped her scissor blade, though she still held Underling against the wall with no effort, took the phone and went through the last conversations Underling had with Ge. Her face remained stoic as she looked over the information. Sure enough...

"She speaks the truth." Cave let her go, and Underling fell ungracefully to the ground. "This 'Nepgeo' is behind it all."

"I don't believe it..." muttered IF as she looked at the phone. "Looks like we found our prime target."

"So it seems..." Cave looked back towards Underling. "Do you know where she resides currently?"

"She travels a lot, so I don't have a specific place, but she told me she was in Planeptune yesterday."

"It's a good start..." Cave threw her phone back at her. "We thank you for your cooperation, Underling. I will be sure to mention this to Lady Vert."

"Y-Yeah, whatever..."

Cave turned around to leave, but IF was still for a moment.

"Hey, I've been wondering..."

"Whaddya want now?"

"What happened to that... rat guy you used to hang out with?"

"Pirachu?"

"Yeah, him."

"He got hit by a bus."

"..." There was a collective stunned silence from the two Leanbox girls. Underling looked nonchalant.

"Is he...?"

"Dead as shit? Oh yeah. You shoulda seen it, rat guts everywhere."

"..." More stunned silence. Underling was more concerned with the state of her food.

"Uhhh..." IF had nothing to say. Neither did Cave. Seriously, how do you respond to that!?

"Don't say anything, I never liked him anyway."

"O-Okay..." They just walked away, a little quicker than normal, mostly because they didn't want to hear any more horror stories.

As soon as she was in the clear, Underling grinned. "Hah! The look on their faces when I spun that shit...! Nah, that rat just got sent to the hospital or some crap. Sure gave me an out from seein' him again." Underling shrugged and, seeing that her burger was undamaged, happily took a bite. "It _really_ would have been nasty to see that actually go down. Well whatever. ... Blech, I hate pickles."


	31. Chapter 31

"Ah, life is good~."

Nepgeo had a dream one day, a dream to revive ASIC and insure their dominance to Gamindustri. She recalled fondly when the Four Felons were at the top of the world, with the CPU bitches captured in the Graveyard nobody could stop them..., until they all got freed and everything went to shit, but that's besides the point!

Nepgeo was a rather ambitious young lady, and kinda creepy when you realize where she gets her looks from, when it came to these sorts of things. She told everybody, everybody being Underling, that ASIC was going to make its grand comeback. She **told** Underling of all her evil plans and whatnots, and what did Underling do?

She just gave a "Good luck with that." message and carried on with her life.

Well, a spot will still be open for her when it happens!

"Anyway, let's see the damage..." Nepgeo pulled up her trusty Share chart and, as expected, Leanbox was in the very bottom. She grinned. "Man, people will believe anything I throw at 'em, eh?"

To Nepgeo, everything was going according to plan. When the last of Leanbox's Shares dried up, that would be one less Nation for her to deal with. "Hm, maybe I should hit Planeptune next... Nah, I'll go with Lastation, they deserve to be taken down a peg." She grinned again. "Who knew a few white lies could do so much? Ha!" Nepgeo clearly felt proud of herself for thinking this up, and it was working too! That's always the hard part! "Well, nothin' left to do now but to finish this sentence uninter-"

 **CRASH!** "HALT!"

"... Well, shit."

Like Underling before her, Nepgeo found herself pinned against a wall in her apartment. It was quite painful, mind you, but Geo didn't have time to complain as she had a scissor blade pressed against her neck. Oh yeah, and Cave was giving her a very scary look.

Needless to say, Nepgeo was scared.

"Do not even think about resisting. We know you are guilty." Cave gave her an icy stare.

"U-Uh..." Quick, Geo, think of an excuse! "I-I don't know wha-" The Nepgear lookalike had the blade pressed closer to her neck when she tried to deny. "H-Hey, isn't this against s-some kind of law!?"

"Against civilians, yes. **Criminals** on the other hand..."

"At ease, Cave..." IF walked in through the hole Cave made, looking positively amused. "With that level, she couldn't even stand up to a Dogoo. She ain't going anywhere."

Begrudgingly taking her friends word for it, Cave let Nepgeo go. She scrambled on the floor and backed up against a wall, fearful.

"H-Hey, what the hell is-"

"Save it." IF shut Nepgeo up. "We know you did it, so there's no reason to say you didn't."

"H-How can you prove it? I-I could just be an innocent bystander!"

Cave growled, but IF kept her at bay. "Your friend, Underling? Yeah, she spilled."

Nepgeo's eyes widened, but she tried to save face. "Y-You're seriously gonna believe h-her!?" She had no problem throwing Underling under the bus.

"As a matter of fact, we are." IF looked smug.

"Underling had supplied vital evidence..., her cellphone." Cave shared the smugness. "As it turns out, you were very talkative on Yipe."

Nepgeo's face fell, knowing full well she had been caught. She also felt very, _very_ betrayed. She couldn't really think about it though, for IF's smug nature had doubled.

"Oh yeah, and you're under arrest." IF pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll look great in prison orange."

"... Well, shit."

 **JAIL** **TIME!**

In a matter of one scene change, Nepgeo was literally thrown into a jail cell, courtesy of Cave.

"Ow! My face!" Nepgeo whined. The cell closed and locked.

"Let's see. Cyber terrorism, 10 years... Endangering a small child's health and safety, 15 years... Purposefully sabotaging and endangering a CPU, one life sentence..." Cave was going over her sentences, enjoy herself very much as she watched Nepgeo's face contort into horror.

"Wait, you can't do this! I'm too sexy to be put in jail!"

"You should of thought about that **before** you decided to mess with a CPU." said a wicked and amused IF. "Well, see ya when you get out. Oh wait..." IF laughed, and the two made their exit. Nepgeo was left putting dents in the handlebars with how hard she was gripping it, silently swearing revenge...

"You bitches are gonna regret this, mark my word..."

"You there! No plotting diabolical schemes after noon!"

"... Sorry, ma'am."

* * *

To say Vert was anxious would be a heavy understatement. When she got word from IF that she and Cave had apprehended Nepgeo and gladly put her in prison, she had been pacing back and forth in anticipation. She was wearing a groove in the floor with all of her pacing.

"U-Um, Lady Vert?"

"Yes, Lyrica?"

"Y-You've been pacing for the last ten minutes. I-I think you need to calm down..."

In truth, Vert could do anything **but** calm down. With her fellow CPUs promoting the hell out of Leanbox, along with Nepgeo being arrested and the rumors being deleted, it was only a matter of time before Vert would get her Shares back. She was already feeling stronger, though it was in increments. It was only a matter of time...

Vert cast a look towards Verna for what had to be literally the millionth time. Undoubtedly, Vert was waiting for the moment when Verna would open her eyes and wake from this nightmare. She wanted to hear her voice, see her smile again. It had only been several hours, but to Vert they could have been centuries. That Dogoo of hers was still beside her, like the loyal pet it was. Chika had shared Vert's anxiety, impatiently tapping her foot while she stared at the sleeping Verna. Time seemed to stand still, and Vert had half a mind to whack time with her lance repeatedly until it decided to move again.

Fortunately, IF and Cave came through the door just then, and Vert stopped her pacing for once, hoping for good news.

"With that Nepgeo locked up tight, it's only a matter of time before Leanbox gets its Shares back.

Vert sighed. Though she was hearing what she had been told before, it relieved her when she saw the Share chart steadily go back up for Leanbox.

"How did this 'Nepgeo' manage to evade being spotted?" asked MAGES. "Surely someone could have tracked her down..."

IF held a device in her hand, which basically looked like scrap metal. "Jammer. She wanted to make sure she wasn't being followed, plus, she used a lot of different Chirper accounts, so nobody could trace the rumors back to her.

"I suppose I have Underling to thank for being cooperative..." mused Vert. "Heavens, I'd never thought I say that."

"Nobody did..." IF sighed. "All that's left now is..." All eyes trained on Verna's sleeping form. Vert always struggled to keep her composure whenever she looked at the comatose Verna, even with Chika comforting her the way she was.

"All we can do is wait, I'm afraid...," said Vert, "... and pray that she wakes up soon."

And so, time decided to mess with Vert and move as slowly as humanly possible. No amount of foot tapping or pacing could speed up the very long minutes ahead of them. For Vert, every second where Verna wasn't awake was pure agony. She still felt so weak...

"WOAH!" 5pb's sudden yell broke the tense silence in the room, making Vert jump in her seat. "Look at the Share chart!"

Everyone turned their heads towards said chart... and saw something very surprising.

"Oh!" It was at that point Vert felt a sudden surge of power and strength flow through, no longer feeling weakened or fatigued. "A-A sudden surge!?"

"Yes!" One minute Leanbox was crawling up to 5%, now they sat at 50%! "T-The other CPUs must be doing one hell of a job!" said IF

"I highly doubt getting our Shares at a record high was their intention..." said Cave, "but their efforts were successful, nonetheless."

Vert didn't care how it happened, she was thankful anyway. Which meant...

"W-What's ev'ryone doin' here...?" A very tired and very young voice came from Verna's bed. "Is ther' a sleepov'r...?"

All the occupants in the room, trained their shocked gazes towards the bed. Sure enough, there was Verna, looking much healthier and rubbing her eyes. She did look very tired, and confused when everyone stared at her.

"What...?"

"VERNA!" Vert was the first to run up to the tiny Candidate and embraced her. She was crying. "V-Verna, o-oh thank Goddess... y-you're..."

"S-Sis...?" The still sleepy Verna looked up at her older sister. "What's wrong...?"

"N-Nothing's wrong, my darling sister..." Vert cradled her. "If anything, everything is right..."

"Okay..." Verna, being the little kid she was, accepted it. "Sis...?"

"Yes, Verna?"

"I'm hungry..."

There was a collective chuckling around the room. "Of course, you can have whatever you want."

"Yaaaaay..."

The other occupants, particularly Cave, kept their emotions in check as the watched the Leanbox family head off to the kitchen. Chika had taken to hugging her now, both women clearly happy beyond belief. For Cave, there was plenty of time to celebrate later. It helped that Verna didn't seem to remember being in a coma. It was like it never happened, and Cave preferred to keep it that way.

In the kitchen, Verna was going through the cabinets, looking for her favorite snacks and drinks, while the pair of Leanbox women watched fondly.

"I really wish she wouldn't eat so much junk," said Vert, "but I'm too happy to care right now."

"Likewise." commented Chika. "We'll have to go shopping again."

"Indeed."

You would think that this would signify a happy ending for the Leanbox family, but fate had one last twist for Vert. For example, Vert heard footsteps come from down the hall to the right, where the room where her Sharicite was located. Okay, that was odd, Vert hadn't seen anyone enter or leave there...

It got even weirder, when a girl Vert had never seen before walked down the hallway, appearing to have just woken up. Vert was about to ask Chika, or even Verna, if she had invited someone over, when the CPU noticed some... very frightening similarities.

The girl had blonde hair tied in two thin pigtails, with blue eyes and appeared to be Nepgear's age, but her chest was bigger. She wore a classic, formal Leanbox outfit that Vert herself would have picked out for the girl, if she had known her. She looked... lost and confused, and her D-Cup breasts jiggled slightly whenever she moved her body or turned her head. The most concerning thing, however, was that she looked scarily like Vert...

No...

It couldn't be...

"Darling, do you see her too...?" A flabbergasted Chika spotted the mystery girl, and she too noticed the eerie similarities.

Vert was stunned. She had a dream about this once, a dream where she had two little sisters, instead of just Verna. She knew it made her look greedy and ungrateful, even though she was far from being either of those, and thus never brought it up. But now, when she looked at the girl, when she noticed the similarities and put the pieces together...!

Vert only whispered. "It can't be..."

The girl looked towards the pair. Verna was still unaware, entirely focused with her snacks. The girl blinked in confusion, then waved meekly.

"Uh... Hi."

 **To be continued...**


End file.
